Romanian Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Romania lies in south-east Europe, with the Carpathian Mountains at its heart and the Danube delta on the Black Sea. Romanian is a Latin language, close to Italian and Spanish. Romanians began to arrive in larger numbers after their country joined the European Union in 2007, and especially after 2014.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 12,238 people living in the city had been born in Romania; 8,516 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Romanian; and 10,573 residents gave Romanian 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. That made Romania the most common country of birth in Birmingham outside the United Kingdom and South Asia, ahead of Jamaica, Somalia, Ireland and Poland.

Working for Birmingham

Romanian workers are a vital part of Birmingham's construction, logistics, warehousing, manufacturing, hospitality and care sectors, and many run their own building, cleaning and transport businesses. Romanian doctors, nurses, dentists, engineers and IT specialists work across the city, and Romanian shops and bakeries have opened on many high streets.

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 Romanian 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, celebrated in the Orthodox tradition, are the most important festivals, and Martisor on 1 March welcomes spring with red and white charms. Sarmale, cabbage rolls, and mici, grilled sausages, are family favourites, and Romanian churches and cultural groups bring the community together.

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