Romani Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

The Romani people trace their origins to northern India, from which their ancestors travelled west more than a thousand years ago. Romany Gypsies have lived in Britain since the early 16th century, and many Roma families from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania and elsewhere have settled in Birmingham since the 2000s.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 1,884 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Roma; and 667 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Gypsy or Irish Traveller. Many Roma people record their ethnic group by their country of origin, so the community is larger than these figures suggest.

Working for Birmingham

Roma, Gypsy and Traveller residents work in construction, trades, scrap and recycling, horse dealing, logistics, manufacturing and care, and many run their own businesses. A growing number of young Roma are going to college and university, and community workers support families with education and employment.

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 Romani residents are part of that everyday effort to make Birmingham a better place to live.

Culture and community life

Romani music has influenced styles from flamenco to jazz, and the guitarist Django Reinhardt was one of its greatest stars. International Roma Day on 8 April celebrates Romani culture, and Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month each June recognises the community's place in British history.

Like so many of the communities that make up modern Birmingham, the Romani 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.