Kyrgyz Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country in Central Asia, crossed by the Tian Shan range and home to Lake Issyk-Kul, one of the largest mountain lakes in the world. Its people speak Kyrgyz and Russian. Kyrgyz people in Birmingham include students and professionals.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 65 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen or Uzbek. The census counts the five Central Asian nationalities together, and Kyrgyz residents are a small share of that figure.

Working for Birmingham

Kyrgyz residents study and work in fields such as business, medicine, engineering and international relations. Many are multilingual, speaking Kyrgyz, Russian and English, and bring skills that are valued in Birmingham's international businesses and universities.

Every community that has settled in Birmingham has helped to shape it. Newcomers have filled gaps in the workforce, opened shops and restaurants, and raised children who have gone on to become the city's doctors, teachers, engineers and entrepreneurs. The Kyrgyz community is part of that tradition of hard work and ambition, and of the city's own motto: Forward.

Culture and community life

The Epic of Manas, passed down by storytellers for centuries, is one of the longest poems in the world and a source of national pride. Nooruz, the spring new year, is widely celebrated, and the yurt, the traditional felt tent of nomadic herders, appears on the country's flag.

For anyone who wants to learn more, the best introduction is the simplest one: say hello. Birmingham's communities are at their best when they meet, share food and learn from one another, and the Kyrgyz community is a warm part of that everyday exchange.