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British Residents 2006

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1.2M

British Diaspora Countries 2024

A diaspora is a large group of people who share a regional or cultural background but live in another country.

The “British Diaspora” is a term used to describe the British people and their descendants who emigrated from Britain (United Kingdom) to other countries worldwide. The population of the UK is about 67 million. The British Diaspora is about 140 million, with many in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South Africa and South America.

From the historical times of the Great British Empire, when Britannia ruled the waves, the influence of the British people, affectionately known as the “Brits,” on global affairs was substantial and continues to this day. Evidence of this is found in the widespread use of English in many countries, especially for scientific research publications.

During what is historically called the Age of Discovery from the 15th to the 17th century, British ships sailed around the world, creating colonies almost wherever they stopped. At the height of its reign over the world, The British Empire controlled the fate of over 400 million people, which was about one-quarter of the global population at the time.

Surprisingly, the British Diaspora does not include the country of India, even though it was once part of the British Empire. However, the Indian Diaspora includes many British who are descendants of people from India.

The British Diaspora includes only those of English, Welch, and Scottish descent living outside the UK and the Crown Dependencies. In contemporary times, the number of the British Diaspora is around 200 million.

Here are the estimated populations of countries that are considered part of the British Diaspora:

Country or Territory | British ancestry | % of population

United Kingdom - 51,736,290 - 82%

United States - 34,275,567 - 11%

Australia - 10,764,870 - 45%

Canada - 10,753,945 - 31%

New Zealand - 2,425,278 - 59%

South Africa - 1,600,000 - 2.60%

Brazil - 840,000 - 0.40%

Chile - 700,000 - 4%

Ireland - 291,000 - 7%

The Bahamas - 38,000 - 10%

Barbados - 20,000 - 7%

Bermuda - 15,700 - 25%

Cayman Islands - 9,600 - 30%

Gibraltar - 9,100 - 27%

Falkland Islands - 2,474 - 80%

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha - 1,408 - 25%

Norfolk Island - 857 - 49%

Pitcairn Islands - 49 - 100%

Thanks to the increased availability of low-cost genetic screening, the numbers of The British Diaspora are growing. The revised estimates are over 72 million people in the United States alone. In Australia, 45% are of British descent. In Canada, about 30% of the population has British heritage

  • Countries with 100 or fewer British diaspora are given the placeholder value of 100.
Country
British Residents 2006
Region
Group
Australia1,300,000Asia PacificAnglo-Celtic Australian, Cornish Australian, English Australian, Scottish Australian, Welsh Australian
Spain761,000EuropeBritons in Spain
United States678,000North AmericaBritish American, Cornish American, English American, Welsh American, Scottish American, Scotch-Irish American
Canada603,000North AmericaBritish Canadians, English Canadian, Scottish Canadian, Welsh Canadian, Cornish Canadian
Ireland291,000EuropeAnglo-Irish people
India250,000South AsiaAnglo-Indian
New Zealand215,000Asia PacificBritish New Zealander, Scottish New Zealander
South Africa212,000AfricaBritish diaspora in Africa
France200,000EuropeBritons in France
Germany115,000EuropeBritish migration to Germany
Portugal60,000Europe
Cyprus59,000Europe
United Arab Emirates55,000Mid EastBritons in the United Arab Emirates
Pakistan47,000AsiaBritons in Pakistan
Switzerland45,000Europe
Singapore45,000Asia PacificEurasians in Singapore
Netherlands44,000Europe
Israel44,000Mid East
Thailand41,000Asia Pacific
China36,000Asia PacificBritons in China, Britons in Hong Kong, Shanghailander
Turkey34,000Mid EastBritons in Turkey
Kenya29,000AfricaBritish diaspora in Africa
Belgium28,000Europe
Barbados27,000Caribbean
Italy26,000EuropeBritish in Italy
Saudi Arabia26,000Mid East
Jamaica25,000CaribbeanWhite Jamaicans
Japan23,000Asia PacificBritons in Japan
Sweden18,000Europe
Greece18,000Europe
Nigeria16,000AfricaBritish Nigerian, British diaspora in Africa
Norway15,000Europe
Philippines14,000Asia Pacific
Egypt14,000AfricaBritons in Egypt
Malaysia13,000Asia Pacific
Indonesia11,000Asia PacificIndo people
Brazil11,000South AmericaEnglish Brazilian, Scottish Brazilian
Denmark11,000Europe
Palestine11,000Mid East
Trinidad and Tobago11,000Caribbean
Bahrain11,000Mid East
Bangladesh9,200Asia
Malta9,000Europe
Mexico8,500North AmericaBritish Mexican
Austria8,500Europe
Argentina8,300South AmericaEnglish Argentine, Welsh Argentine, Scottish Argentine
Qatar8,100Mid East
Oman7,800Mid East
Malawi7,400AfricaBritish diaspora in Africa
Venezuela7,200South America
Jordan7,200Mid East
Kuwait7,100Mid East
Czech Republic6,800Europe
Brunei6,400Asia Pacific
Macau6,300Asia Pacific
Russia6,100Europe
Zimbabwe6,100AfricaBritish diaspora in Africa
Ghana5,900AfricaBritish diaspora in Africa
Zambia5,800Africa
Poland5,600Europe
Tanzania5,500AfricaBritish diaspora in Africa
Luxembourg5,500Europe
Chile5,200South AmericaBritish Chilean, English Chilean, Scottish Chilean, Welsh Chilean
Hungary5,200Europe
Botswana5,000AfricaBritish diaspora in Africa
Costa Rica4,800North America
Peru4,600South AmericaBritish Peruvian
Romania4,500Europe
Sri Lanka4,400AsiaBurgher people
Bahamas4,100Caribbean
Vietnam3,800Asia Pacific
Colombia3,600South America
Libya3,600Africa
Gibraltar3,600EuropeGibraltarians
South Korea3,400Asia Pacific
Yemen3,400Mid East
Iran2,900Mid East
Finland2,800Europe
Antigua and Barbuda2,800Caribbean
Nepal2,700Asia
Uganda2,500AfricaBritish diaspora in Africa
Grenada2,500Caribbean
Morocco2,400Africa
Ecuador2,400South America
Azerbaijan2,400Asia
Eswatini2,300Africa
Syria2,200Mid East
Lebanon2,200Mid East
Guyana2,200South America
Iraq2,000Mid East
Sierra Leone2,000Africa
Belize2,000North America
Guatemala1,900North America
Seychelles1,800Africa
Dominica1,800Caribbean
Namibia1,700Africa
Serbia1,600Europe
Mauritania1,600Africa
Gambia1,500AfricaBritish diaspora in Africa
Saint Lucia1,500Caribbean
Mozambique1,400Africa
Tunisia1,400Africa
Ethiopia1,300Africa
Sudan1,300Africa
Ivory Coast1,200Africa
Dominican Republic1,100Caribbean
Cambodia1,000Asia Pacific
Panama1,000North America
British Virgin Islands1,000Caribbean
Honduras950North America
North Macedonia950Europe
Papua New Guinea940Asia Pacific
Iceland940Europe
Falkland Islands930South AmericaFalkland Islanders
Afghanistan900Asia
Ukraine900Europe
Croatia890Europe
Saint Kitts and Nevis880Caribbean
Bulgaria800Europe
Kazakhstan770Asia
Estonia750Europe
Slovakia740Europe
Mauritius740Africa
Uruguay690South America
Angola650AfricaBritish Angolans
Algeria630Africa
Bermuda600North AtlanticWhite Bermudian, Black Bermudian
Fiji500Asia Pacific
Bolivia470South America
Myanmar460Asia PacificAnglo-Burmese
Nicaragua410North AmericaEnglish settlement in Nicaragua
DR Congo390Africa
El Salvador390North America
Latvia370Europe
Lesotho350Africa
Mongolia340Asia Pacific
Paraguay330South America
Slovenia330Europe
Monaco320Europe
Madagascar300AfricaBritons in Madagascar
Cameroon300Africa
Lithuania290Europe
Vanuatu270Asia Pacific
Anguilla260Caribbean
Senegal220Africa
Andorra210Europe
Tajikistan200Asia
Georgia200Europe
Albania190Europe
Tonga190Asia Pacific
Cuba160Caribbean
Montserrat160Caribbean
Uzbekistan130Asia
Djibouti110Africa
Cayman Islands110Caribbean
Niger100Africa
North Korea100Asia Pacific
Taiwan100Asia Pacific
Burkina Faso100Africa
Chad100Africa
Somalia100Africa
Guinea100Africa
Rwanda100Africa
Benin100Africa
Haiti100Caribbean
Belarus100Europe
Togo100Africa
Kyrgyzstan100Asia
Turkmenistan100Asia
Central African Republic100Africa
Liberia100Africa
Moldova100Europe
Puerto Rico100Caribbean
Armenia100Asia
Bhutan100Asia
Solomon Islands100Asia Pacific
Cape Verde100Africa
Maldives100Asia
French Polynesia100Asia Pacific
New Caledonia100Asia Pacific
Samoa100Asia Pacific
Guam100Asia Pacific
Kiribati100Asia Pacific
United States Virgin Islands100Caribbean
Greenland100North America
Faroe Islands100Europe
Liechtenstein100Europe
San Marino100Europe
Cook Islands100Asia Pacific
Tuvalu100Asia Pacific
showing: 190 rows

What countries are part of the British diaspora?

United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Chile, and Europe are all part of the British Diaspora.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources