Punjabi Community in Birmingham

Its music, food, faith and famous hospitality are woven into the life of the city, and few Brummies have not danced to bhangra at a wedding or a party.

Where they come from

Punjab, the land of five rivers, was divided between India and Pakistan in 1947, and Punjabi families in Birmingham come from both sides of the border. Many arrived in the 1950s and 1960s to work in the city's foundries, factories and transport, building homes and communities in Handsworth, Sparkhill, Small Heath and beyond.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 17,765 residents gave Punjabi as their main language; and 862 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Punjabi. Main language figures leave out the many bilingual residents who use English day to day, so the number who speak the language at home is higher still. Most people of Punjabi heritage record their ethnic group as Indian or Pakistani, so the number who identify with Punjab is far larger.

Working for Birmingham

From the factory floor, the Punjabi community moved into every part of Birmingham's economy. Punjabi-heritage doctors, pharmacists, teachers, solicitors, accountants, builders, electricians and business owners serve the whole city, and family firms started with a single shop have grown into wholesalers, property companies and manufacturers employing hundreds of people.

The city's future rests on the same things as its past: skills, enterprise and people willing to put in the hours. Whether in a hospital, a classroom, a lecture theatre, a van full of tools or a shop on a busy high street, Punjabi residents are helping to build that future, and to make Birmingham a stronger, fairer and more welcoming city.

Culture and community life

Vaisakhi, the spring harvest festival and the birth of the Sikh Khalsa, draws tens of thousands of people to Handsworth Park each year. Birmingham helped give the world British bhangra, and Punjabi food, from butter chicken to saag and makki di roti, is loved across the city. Sikh, Hindu and Muslim Punjabis share a language and a love of celebration.

Birmingham's strength lies in its variety, and the Punjabi community is a welcome part of it. As the city continues to grow and change, that contribution will remain part of the story of a place that has always looked forward.