Ivorians in the United Kingdom

According to the 2001 UK Census, a total of 2,794 people born in Côte d'Ivoire were residing in the UK in April 2001.[3] This figure ranks 28th amongst African-born immigrant groups.[3] The UK is home to the fourth largest overseas Ivoirian diaspora of any OECD country, behind the communities in France, the United States and Italy.[3] There has been some secondary migration of Ivoirians to the UK from other European countries, including France.[1] It is difficult to determine exactly how many Ivoirians are living in the UK because many avoid any form of official registration and are reluctant to report themselves to the Ivoirian embassy in London.[1] Many Ivoirians who have immigrated to the UK have claimed political asylum, and in the period between 1997 and 2007, 910 people were granted asylum.[1] In 2008, community leaders suggested that the population stood at between 5,000 and 9,000, although the International Organization for Migration states that "it is very difficult to verify these figures".[1] The first wave of Ivoirian migrants to the UK in the early 1990s were almost all male, however there has been a significant increase in the number of female migrants in recent years. In terms of age range, a large percentage of the Ivoirian population in the UK are in between the ages of 35 and 45 having come in search for a new life in their twenties.[1] By far the most common and preferred language amongst the community is French and within first generation immigrants, fluency in the English language is only really evident in students and scholars.[1]

The majority of Ivoirians (between 3,000 and 4,500) reside in the British capital, London. London is the preferred destination for Ivoirian migrants due to its cosmopolitan nature, the belief that it offers greater and better employment prospects, as well as its long-established Ivoirian and Black African communities.[1] Despite this, there is evidence that numerous Ivoirians who settled in London have since moved on to other cities. An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 Ivoirians reside in Birmingham, 400 to 1,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne and 100 to 200 in Glasgow.[1] Outside of these large cities, many Ivoirian asylum seekers have been dispersed across the country by the British government, as part of a policy designed to lessen the financial burden on local councils in London and the south east.[1]

Islam and Christianity are the two main religions in Côte d'Ivoire, however, there are also many indigenous African religions that Ivoirian people follow.[1] Most Ivoirian Muslims in the UK belong to the Mandinka and Mandé ethnic groups from the north and north west of Côte d'Ivoire. Amongst the more commonly visited mosques amongst the community are Brixton Mosque, Lewisham Mosque, Kent Islamic Centre and the Old Kent Road Nigerian Mosque - all of these are located in and around Greater London which reflects the spread of Ivoirians in the UK themselves.[1] Despite Islam being a more followed religion in Côte d'Ivoire, the IOM has found evidence that within the UK's Ivoirian community, there are, in fact, larger followers of Christianity - the majority adhering to the Roman Catholic and Methodist faiths. There are many Ivoirian congregations and churches in London and across the UK and where Ivoirian communities aren't so prevalent, many decide to worship alongside other people from other African nations.[1]