Western European Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Western Europeans in Birmingham have roots in Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Austria and the Nordic countries. Birmingham is twinned with Lyon and Frankfurt, and many Western Europeans have come as academics, professionals, students and families.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 37,166 people living in the city had been born in the countries that were members of the European Union in 2001, mainly in western Europe, including Ireland.

Working for Birmingham

Western European residents work in healthcare, education, research, engineering, finance, hospitality and the arts, and European academics are a valued part of the city's universities. Irish, Italian and Portuguese families have also built businesses in construction, catering and trade.

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

Culture and community life

The Frankfurt Christmas Market is one of Birmingham's most popular events, and the St Patrick's Day parade is one of the biggest in Britain. Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese food has become part of the city's everyday life, and European football and festivals are followed with passion.

In a city where scores of languages are spoken, the Western European community adds another voice to the conversation. Its members, old and new, are helping to make Birmingham the confident, outward-looking city it wants to be.