German Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Germany is Europe's largest economy, known for its engineering, its cities and its history. Birmingham has been twinned with Frankfurt since 1966. Germans in Birmingham include academics, engineers, business professionals, teachers, students and families.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 2,929 people living in the city had been born in Germany; 671 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as German; and 663 residents gave German 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. The number born in Germany includes many children of British service families.

Working for Birmingham

German residents work in engineering, manufacturing, research, finance, education and healthcare, and German academics teach and research at the city's universities. Several German companies have operations in and around Birmingham, providing jobs and investment.

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

Culture and community life

The Frankfurt Christmas Market, which fills New Street and Victoria Square every winter, is one of the largest German Christmas markets outside Germany and Austria and a highlight of Birmingham's year. Bratwurst, pretzels and gluhwein are now festive favourites for Brummies.

The story of the German 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.