Indian Christian Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Christianity in India has a very long history. Tradition holds that St Thomas the Apostle brought the faith to Kerala in the first century, and Catholic and Protestant churches grew in later centuries. Indian Christians in Birmingham include Malayali, Tamil, Goan, Punjabi and other families, many of whom work in healthcare.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 4,547 Birmingham residents of Indian heritage gave their religion as Christian.

Working for Birmingham

Indian Christian nurses, doctors and carers are a familiar presence in Birmingham's hospitals and care homes, and many families work in IT, engineering, teaching and business. Churches and associations support new arrivals as they settle into the city.

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 Indian Christian community is part of that tradition of hard work and ambition, and of the city's own motto: Forward.

Culture and community life

Christmas and Easter are celebrated with services in English, Malayalam, Tamil and other languages, and feast days of patron saints are joyful occasions. Indian Christian families share food from their home regions, from Kerala appam and stew to Goan sweets, at church gatherings.

The story of the Indian Christian 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.