Romani people in the United Kingdom
Romane manusha ando Jekhethano Them (Romani) | |
|---|---|
A portrait of a Romani woman by English painter Octavius Oakley | |
| Total population | |
| United Kingdom: ≈ 225,000 – 0.4% (European Commission estimate, 2012) England: 99,122 – 0.2% (2021) Scotland: Unavailable Wales: 1,842 – 0.06% (2021) Northern Ireland: 1,529 – 0.08% (2021) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| North West England and Greater London | |
| Languages | |
| Angloromani, Scottish Cant, Kalá | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (71.8%), Islam (2.0%), Romani mythology |
Romani people have been recorded in the United Kingdom since at least the early 16th century. There are estimated to be around 225,000 Romani people residing in the UK. This includes the Romanichal, Kalé and a sizeable population of recent Romani migrants from mainland Europe, particularly Central and Eastern Europe, the bulk of whom immigrated into the UK in the late 1990s/early 2000s and after EU expansion in 2004. They are considered part of the Gypsy (Romani), Roma and Traveller (GRT) community. In the UK, Romanies are classified as white. However, some Romanies do not identify as white, as historical persecution has contributed to an "uncertain whiteness" that sets them apart from other white groups.