Malayali Community in Birmingham

Its members are especially well known for their work in healthcare.

Where they come from

Kerala sits on India's south-west coast, a green land of backwaters, coconut palms and spice gardens with one of the highest literacy rates in India. Malayalam is its language. Malayalis have a long tradition of working abroad, and many have come to Birmingham since the early 2000s, often as nurses and doctors recruited by the NHS.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 1,156 residents gave Malayalam 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

Malayali nurses, midwives, care workers and doctors are a familiar and respected presence on the wards of Birmingham's hospitals and in its care homes. Others work in pharmacy, information technology, engineering and teaching, and a new generation of students is studying at the city's universities before starting careers of its own.

Much of the work that keeps Birmingham moving happens out of sight: the night shift on a hospital ward, the early start on a building site, the plumber who fixes a boiler on a winter evening, the teaching assistant who helps a child learn to read. People from every community in the city do these jobs, and Malayali residents are part of that everyday effort to make Birmingham a better place to live.

Culture and community life

Onam, Kerala's harvest festival, is celebrated each autumn with a feast served on banana leaves, flower carpets and dancing. The community includes Christian, Hindu and Muslim families, and its churches, temples and cultural associations run Malayalam classes, sports clubs and arts programmes for children growing up in the city.

For anyone who wants to learn more, the best introduction is the simplest one: say hello. Birmingham's communities are at their best when they meet, share food and learn from one another, and the Malayali community is a warm part of that everyday exchange.