The UK black African population

According to the most recent national census, taken in 2001, black African people comprise 0.8% of the total UK population, and 10.5% of the total ethnic minority population.¹ Given the pattern of immigration since then, black African people probably currently represent a higher proportion of the total population than in 2001. The Office for National Statistics estimates that black African people totalled 1.4% of the population of England and Wales in 2007.²

London has the largest population of non-white ethnic groups in the UK, with over three-quarters of black African people residing in the capital. Black African people constitute a particularly large percentage of the population in certain London boroughs including Hackney (12%), Lambeth (12%), Newham (13%) and Southwark (16%).¹

Black African people have been present in the UK at various times in history, but the current black African population is largely a product of immigration to the UK since the mid-20^th century. Following decolonisation, some people from the former British colonies were allowed to move to the UK, partly to fill gaps in the labour market. In addition, many African countries (including Rwanda, Somalia, Zimbabwe and Sudan) have experienced severe conflict and political instability which has also contributed to migration.

Nowadays six African countries (South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Ghana) are among the top 20 most common countries of birth of foreign-born UK residents.³ In BASS Line (a large survey of African people in England in contact with health and community organisations), over half the respondents were born in five countries: Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Uganda, the UK and Kenya.⁴

In the same survey, respondents had lived in the UK for a mean of 8.4 years, with 18% in the country for three years or less, and 27% for at least ten years. The period of time that an individual has spent in the UK – and the degree to which issues such as immigration status, employment and housing have been dealt with – often has a significant impact on an individual’s readiness to take care of their health.⁵

Along with many other ethnic minority groups, a high proportion of black African people (91%) cite their ethnic or racial background as an important part of their identity. A similar proportion feel part of British society, and 84% of black African respondents to a survey felt they ‘strongly belong to Britain’, similar to the proportion of white people.⁶

Social and demographic researchers frequently use the terms ‘black African’ and ‘African’ in their descriptions and analyses. However it is important to note that both terms can sometimes be unhelpful, given the huge diversity concerning country of origin, religion, language and culture that they encompass. African countries have diverse cultures and socio-economic structures, and individuals occupy different positions in them. The terms ‘black African’ and ‘African’ can refer to people who arrived in the UK soon after decolonisation as well as to more recent migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. They also include individuals born in the UK.^{7 8}

Nonetheless these categories are widely used in the research studies that we summarise here. Many studies specify ‘black African’, whereas others use the category ‘African’ which can include some individuals who would consider themselves African British, Arab African, white African etc. Therefore these categories are frequently used in these pages. 

To return to the census data, they show that black African people living in the UK fare poorly on a range of social and economic indicators. Black African men have a level of unemployment second only to black Caribbean males, while black African women’s level of unemployment is surpassed only by Pakistani females. Although black African people are among the most highly educated in the UK, their jobs do not always reflect their qualifications. This could be due to language barriers, because UK employers are not recognising qualifications acquired abroad or racism. Furthermore, they are among the least likely to be in managerial or professional occupations.⁹

Black African schoolchildren perform to roughly the national average in terms of GCSE attainment.¹⁰

In housing, black African people are most likely to live in social housing, the least likely to own their home, and among the most likely to experience overcrowding. This could be due to a combination of factors, including having lived in the country for a shorter time (and therefore having made little progress on the housing ladder),¹ providing accommodation to ‘new arrivals’ and cultural factors such as traditions of communal living.