Sri Lankan Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Sri Lanka is an island nation off the southern tip of India, famous for its tea, beaches and ancient Buddhist cities. Sri Lankans have come to Britain since the 1950s, many as doctors and students, and others arrived as refugees during the civil war that ended in 2009.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 1,783 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Sri Lankan; 1,542 people living in the city had been born in Sri Lanka; and 231 residents gave Sinhala as their main language. 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.

Working for Birmingham

Sri Lankan doctors, nurses and pharmacists have served the NHS for generations, and the community is also well represented in accountancy, engineering, IT and academia. Sri Lankan families run shops, restaurants and businesses, and their children are building careers across every sector.

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, Sri Lankan residents are helping to build that future, and to make Birmingham a stronger, fairer and more welcoming city.

Culture and community life

Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April is a joyful shared festival, and Vesak, which marks the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, is celebrated with lanterns and gatherings. Hindu, Muslim and Christian festivals are marked too. Hoppers, kottu and fiery sambols have become favourites in Birmingham, and cricket is a passion.

Like so many of the communities that make up modern Birmingham, the Sri Lankan community shows how a city can be home to many cultures at once. Its members are proud of where they come from, and just as proud to be Brummies.