Laotian Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Laos is a landlocked country in South-East Asia, crossed by the Mekong river and known for its mountains, temples and the historic city of Luang Prabang. Its people speak Lao and most are Theravada Buddhists. Laotians in Britain include families who arrived as refugees decades ago and newer students and professionals.

The community in numbers

The 2021 Census does not publish a separate Birmingham figure for the Laotian community, which is counted within the census's figures for people born elsewhere in South-East Asia. By any measure it is one of the city's smaller communities, which makes the ties between its members all the closer.

Working for Birmingham

Laotian residents work in fields such as catering, healthcare, retail and business, and younger generations have gone on to university and professional careers. Like many small communities, they are known for quietly supporting one another and for contributing to the neighbourhoods where they live.

Much of the work that keeps Birmingham moving happens out of sight: the night shift on a hospital ward, the early start on a building site, the plumber who fixes a boiler on a winter evening, the teaching assistant who helps a child learn to read. People from every community in the city do these jobs, and Laotian residents are part of that everyday effort to make Birmingham a better place to live.

Culture and community life

Pi Mai, the Lao New Year in April, is celebrated with water blessings, music and visits to the temple. Sticky rice is at the centre of every meal, eaten with larb and grilled meats, and the baci ceremony, in which white strings are tied around the wrist, is used to wish people good fortune.

The story of the Laotian community in Birmingham is still being written, by students, workers, parents and pensioners who call the city home. It is a story of hard work, friendship and quiet pride, and Birmingham is richer for it.