Sikhism in England

Sikhism in England

The Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick.
Total population
520,092 0.92% of the total population (2021)
Regions with significant populations
West Midlands	172,398 (2.90%)
London	144,543 (1.64%)
South East	74,348 (0.80%)
East Midlands	53,950 (1.11%)
East	24,284 (0.38%)
Religions
Sikhism
Languages
British English • Punjabi Hindi • Urdu

English Sikhs number over 520,000 people and account for 0.9% of England's population in 2021, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. In 2006 there were 352 gurdwaras in England. The largest Sikh populations in the U.K. are in the West Midlands and Greater London.

Nagar Kirtan Convoy in Barking, London.

Sikh Population History
in England

Year	Pop.	±%
2001	327,343	—
2011	420,196	+28.4%
2021	520,092	+23.8%
Source: Office for National Statistics

History

The permanent arrival of Sikhism in England is dated to 1850 A.D. with the arrival of Maharajah Duleep Singh (last ruler of the Sikh Empire). The first Sikh place of worship, called a Gurdwara, was opened in 1911 in London and this was partly funded by the Maharaja of Patiala. Prior to this the first Sikh Society called Khalsa Jatha was formed in 1908.

In 2019, the statue of Sikh soldier was unveiled in the West Yorkshire to commemorate the Sikhs martyrs in the World War I and World War II.

Demographics

Main article: Sikhism in the United Kingdom § Demographics

Geographical Distribution

Top ten English local authorities by Sikh population, 2021

Local authority	Population
Sandwell	39,252
Birmingham	33,126
Wolverhampton	31,769
Ealing	28,491
Hillingdon	26,339
Hounslow	24,677
Slough	17,985
Redbridge	17,622
Coventry	17,297
Walsall	17,148

Top ten English local authorities by Sikh proportion, 2021

Local authority	Percentage
Wolverhampton	12.0%
Sandwell	11.5%
Slough	11.3%
Hillingdon	8.6%
Hounslow	8.6%
Gravesham	8.0%
Ealing	7.8%
Oadby and Wigston	7.5%
Walsall	6.0%
Redbridge	5.7%

English Sikhs by region (2001−2021)

Region	2021		2011		2001
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
West Midlands	172,398	2.9%	133,681	2.39%	103,870	1.97%
London	144,543	1.64%	126,134	1.54%	104,230	1.45%
South East	74,348	0.8%	54,941	0.64%	37,735	0.47%
East Midlands	53,950	1.11%	44,335	0.98%	33,551	0.8%
East	24,284	0.38%	18,213	0.31%	13,365	0.25%
Yorkshire and the Humber	24,034	0.44%	22,179	0.42%	18,711	0.38%
North West	11,862	0.16%	8,857	0.13%	6,487	0.1%
South West	7,465	0.13%	5,892	0.11%	4,614	0.09%
North East	7,206	0.27%	5,964	0.23%	4,780	0.19%
England	520,092	0.92%	420,196	0.79%	327,343	0.63%

National and Ethnic Origins

Between 2001 and 2011, the proportion of English Sikhs who identified as Indian declined from 91.6% to 74.0%, while the proportion of English Sikhs who identified as "Other Asian" rose from 4.6% to 12.0% and the proportion of English Sikhs who identified as "Other Ethnic group" rose from 0.7% to 9.5%.

English Sikhs by National and Ethnic Origins

	2001		2011		2021
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Asian	315,144	96.27%	366,033	87.11%	422,906	85.16%
– Indian	299,717	91.56%	310,845	73.98%	383,954	73.82%
– Pakistani	343	0.1%	3,268	0.78%	585	0.11%
– Chinese	76	0.02%	1,000	0.24%	85	0.02%
– Bangladeshi	112	0.03%	657	0.16%	174	0.03%
– Other Asian	14,896	4.55%	50,263	11.96%	38,108	7.33%
White	6,625	2.02%	7,232	1.72%	3,269	0.63%
– British	5,953	1.82%	5,220	1.24%	2,479	0.48%
– Irish	146	0.04%	147	0.03%	70	0.01%
– Irish Traveller			89	0.02%	82	0.02%
– Roma					42	0.01%
– Other White	526	0.16%	1,776	0.42%	596	0.11%
Mixed	2,722	0.83%	5,025	1.2%	6,906	1.33%
– White and Asian	2,083	0.64%	3,768	0.9%	5,516	1.06%
– White and Black Caribbean	63	0.02%	269	0.06%	102	0.02%
– White and Black African	30	0.01%	104	0.02%	51	0.01%
– Other Mixed	546	0.17%	884	0.21%	1,237	0.24%
Black	614	0.19%	1,426	0.34%	300	0.06%
– African	408	0.12%	553	0.13%	139	0.03%
– Caribbean	140	0.04%	347	0.08%	108	0.02%
– Other Black	66	0.02%	526	0.13%	53	0.01%
Arab			494	0.12%	80	0.02%
Other Ethnic group	2,238	0.68%	39,986	9.52%	86,830	16.7%
TOTAL	327,343	100%	420,196	100%		100%

Sikh Schools

There are currently 13 Sikh Schools in England that teach the national curriculum alongside Sikh values. These schools are often oversubscribed and outperform regular schools, for example the Nishkam High School in Birmingham was recently rated by Ofsted as outstanding in every area. The Nishkam School Trust is also developing a sister school in West London, which is an area with a large Sikh community, which is due to open in September 2016.

The schools include:

• Akaal Primary School, Derby
• Atam Academy, Romford
• Falcons Primary School, Leicester
• Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Chigwell
• Guru Nanak Sikh Academy, Hayes
• Khalsa Primary School, Slough
• Khalsa Primary School, Southall
• Pioneer Secondary Academy, Stoke Poges
• Nishkam Nursery & Primary School, Birmingham
• Nishkam High School, Birmingham
• Nishkam School West London, Isleworth
• Seva School, Coventry
• The Khalsa Academy, Wolverhampton

Gurdwaras

Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall, London.

Southall, in London, is home to the largest Sikh temple outside India, known as Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha. It opened in 2003 after almost three years construction and a cost of £17 million. Another large Gurdwara in Gravesend began construction in 2001, and was officially opened in November 2010 . In Sunderland, a former Church of England church has been transformed into a Sikh Gurdwara by the Sunderland Sikh Association.

Many cities, especially those with large Sikh communities, now have several Gurdwaras to cater to their growing congregations. For example, Bradford is a city that now has 6 Gurdwaras. Many Gurdwaras will have had other uses and have been converted from industrial buildings to even former churches that have closed down. Increasingly, Gurdwaras are being purposely built, The Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara in Bradford is an example of a purpose built Gurdwara.

Notable British Sikh organisations

In addition to Gurdwaras there are now a variety of additional organisations which have been setup by Sikhs to support the community:

• British Sikh Report
• City Sikhs
• Gurdwara Sahib Leamington and Warwick
• Guru Nanak Nishkam Sevak Jatha
• Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall
• Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick
• Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara
• Nishkam SWAT
• Sangat TV
• Sikh Pioneers & Sikh Light Infantry Association UK
• Sikh Channel
• Sikh Federation (UK)
• The Sikh Awards

Sikh Media

Sikhs in England have managed to establish a range of media outlets to propagate and encourage dialogue between Sikhs across the country, predominantly in Punjabi, although increasingly media is produced in English to include the new generation. Many Sikhs still speak Punjabi as a first and second language. In England there are currently no less than 4 Sky channels including, Sikh Channel, Sikh TV, Akaal Channel and Sangat TV, all are also broadcast worldwide and on the internet. There are now also radio stations, which broadcast Gurbani at different times during the morning and evening hours.

In radio there are numerous stations broadcast on analogue in areas with large Sikh communities as well as internationally on the Sky platform, since 2001 Sukh Sagar on Sky channel 0150 is one such station that was also the world's first 24-hour Gurbani (Sikh prayer) radio station.

See also

• List of British Sikhs
• Sikhism in the United Kingdom
• Sikhism in Scotland
• Sikhism in Wales
• Religion in England
• Gurdwaras in England

External links

• National Network of British Sikh Professionals
• Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha's official website

• Information Portal of the Sikh faith