British Diaspora Countries 2025

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