Kazakh Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Kazakhstan is the largest country in Central Asia and the ninth largest in the world, stretching from the Caspian Sea to the mountains near China. Its cities include Almaty and the capital, Astana. Kazakh and Russian are widely spoken. Kazakhs in Birmingham include students, professionals and families.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 65 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen or Uzbek. The census counts the five Central Asian nationalities together, and Kazakh residents are a small share of that figure.

Working for Birmingham

Many Kazakh students come to Britain for study in engineering, business, finance and law, often supported by national scholarship schemes, and return home to senior roles. Kazakh professionals in Birmingham work in business, energy, finance and technology, and help to build ties between the two countries.

Birmingham grew rich as the city of a thousand trades, and that spirit of making and doing is still strong. Today the trades sit alongside healthcare, education, finance, law, logistics and technology. The Kazakh community brings energy to that mix, from people starting small businesses to those caring for patients, teaching in classrooms and keeping homes and workplaces in good repair.

Culture and community life

Nauryz, the spring new year, is the biggest celebration, marked with family meals and nauryz kozhe, a special soup. Beshbarmak, a dish of meat and noodles, is the national favourite, and the dombra, a two-stringed lute, is the heart of Kazakh music. Hospitality is central to Kazakh culture.

Birmingham's strength lies in its variety, and the Kazakh 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.