Lithuanians in the United Kingdom

Lithuanians in the United Kingdom (Lithuanian: Didžiosios Britanijos lietuviai) include individuals born in Lithuania who have migrated to the UK, among them Lithuanian citizens of Russian descent and Polish Lithuanian citizens, as well as their British-born descendants. The 2011 UK Census recorded 95,730 Lithuanian-born residents in England, 1,353 in Wales,[5] 4,287 in Scotland,[6] and 7,341 in Northern Ireland.[7] The previous, 2001 UK Census, had recorded 4,363 Lithuanian-born residents.[8] The Office for National Statistics estimates that 144,000 Lithuanian-born immigrants were resident in the UK in 2013.[9]

Lithuanians in the United Kingdom
Distribution by regional area at the 2011 census
Total population
United Kingdom Lithuanian-born residents in the United Kingdom: 182,423 – 0.3%
(2021/22 Census)[note 1]

 England: 161,596 – 0.3% (2021)[1]
 Scotland: 7,814 – 0.1% (2022)[2]
 Wales: 2,562 – 0.08% (2021)[1]
Northern Ireland: 10,451 – 0.5% (2021)[3]
144,000 (2013 ONS estimate)
Lithuanian citizens/passports held:
185,159 (England and Wales only, 2021)[4]
Regions with significant populations
London · Lanarkshire · Ayrshire · Lincolnshire · Cambridgeshire
Languages
British English · Lithuanian · Russian
Religion
Roman Catholicism in majority · Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Baltic people
  1. ^ Does not include Lithuanians born in the United Kingdom or those with Lithuanian ancestry

Significant numbers of Lithuanians have come to the UK since Lithuania's European Union accession in 2004;[10] however, there have been historically notable Lithuanian communities in the UK since the early 20th century — most notably in Scotland (Glasgow and the mining communities of North Lanarkshire and Midlothian)[11] and London.[12][13] In Scotland, the first Lithuanians came during the latter part of the 19th century.[14] Between 1886 and 1914, around one in four Lithuanians emigrated from Lithuania, with most of those leaving doing so in the 1890s and 1900s.[12] Some of these emigrants were avoiding conscription into the Russian military, some were Lithuanian freedom fighters, others were Jews escaping persecution, and some were fleeing poverty.[15][16] The Lithuanian population of Scotland is estimated to have grown from a few hundred to 7,000. An estimated 2,000 Lithuanians settled elsewhere in Britain during this period. Around 15,000 Lithuanians also resided in Scotland temporarily, before migrating onwards to other countries; most notably the United States.[12] According to the BBC, some travelled to Scotland because they could not afford travel to the US, whereas others were duped, thinking that they had actually arrived in the United States.[15]

Notable individuals

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "TS012: Country of birth (detailed)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Table UV204 - Country of birth: Country by Country of Birth by Individuals". National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 24 May 2024. '2022' > 'All of Scotland' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Country of birth: UV204'
  3. ^ "MS-A17: Country of birth - intermediate detail". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  4. ^ "TS005: Passports held". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  5. ^ "2011 Census: QS203EW Country of birth (detailed), local authorities in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 11 December 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  6. ^ "Country of birth (detailed)" (PDF). National Records of Scotland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  7. ^ "Country of Birth – Full Detail: QS206NI". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Country-of-birth database". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Archived from the original on 4 May 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Table 1.3: Overseas-born population in the United Kingdom, excluding some residents in communal establishments, by sex, by country of birth, January 2013 to December 2013". Office for National Statistics. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2015. Figure given is the central estimate. See the source for 95 per cent confidence intervals.
  10. ^ Pidd, Helen (7 January 2013). "Baltic exchange: meet the Lithuanians who have made Britain their home". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  11. ^ Lithuanian miners in Scotland: migration and misconceptions, Prof Marjory Harper (University of Aberdeen), Our Migration Story
  12. ^ a b c Rodgers, Murdoch (1985). "The Lithuanians". History Today. 35 (7): 15–20. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
  13. ^ "Lithuanians in Glasgow". The Guardian. 23 January 2006. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Lithuanians in Lanarkshire". BBC. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Lithuanians in Lanarkshire". BBC. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  16. ^ The When, How, and Why of the Lithuanians in Scotland, John Miller, Draugas News, 15 September 2006