Bangladeshi diaspora

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Bangladeshi diaspora

প্রবাসী বাংলাদেশী
Flag of Bangladesh
Total population
12–13 million (2020) [1] [2]
Regions with significant populations
Saudi Arabia	2.5 million (2020)[3]
Malaysia	1 million (2018)[4]
United Arab Emirates	1,089,917 (2013)[5]
United Kingdom	900,000[6]
United States	800,000[7] [8]
Oman	680,242 (2018)[9]
Italy	400,000[10]
Qatar	400,000 (2019)[11]
Kuwait	350,000 (2020)[12]
South Africa	300,000 (2019)[13]
Bahrain	200,000 (2020)[14]
Lebanon	160,000 (2020)[15]
Jordan	150,000 (2020)[16]
Singapore	150,000 (2020)[17]
Canada	100,000 (2017)[18][19]
Greece	80,000[20]
Australia	41,233 (2016)[21]
Brunei	30,000-40,000 (2016)[22]
Spain	30,000 (2020)[23]
Libya	20,000 (2019)[24]
South Korea	18,000 (2021)[25]
Japan	40,000[26]
Germany	16,410 (2020)[27]
Sweden	12,279 (2020)[28]
Poland	18,000 (2020)[29]
Mauritius	25,000 (2021)[30]
Maldives	50,000 (2011)[31]
Finland	7,000[32]
France	15,000+[33]
Religion
Predominantly Islam Substantial numbers follow Hinduism Smaller minorities follow Buddhism and Christianity

The Bangladeshi diaspora (Bengali: প্রবাসী বাংলাদেশী) consists of people of Bangladeshi descent who have immigrated to or were born in another country. First-generation migrants may have moved abroad from Bangladesh for various reasons including better living conditions, to escape poverty, to support their financial condition, or to send money back to families in Bangladesh. With a total of 13 million Bangladeshis living abroad, the country has ranked 4th among the top 20 countries of origin for international migrants.^{[citation needed]} Annual remittances received in Bangladesh were $13.4 million in 2017.^[34]

A majority of the Bangladeshi diaspora belongs to the Muslim faith. This caused conflict as the act of seafaring was traditionally prohibited in Hinduism; a taboo known as kala pani (black/dirty water).^[35]

There is a large Bangladeshi population in Saudi Arabia. There are also significant migrant communities in various Arab states of the Persian Gulf, particularly the United Arab Emirates and Oman, where Bangladeshis are mainly classified as foreign workers. The United Kingdom's 2011 census found 451,529 people of Bangladeshi ancestry living in the UK.^[36] British Bangladeshis are mainly concentrated in east London boroughs (Tower Hamlets and Newham); the migration to Britain is mainly attributed with chain migration from the Sylhet Division. Besides the UK and the Middle East, Bangladeshis also have a large presence in the United States, with there being a total of 800,000;^[37] 250,000 of which can be found in New York. Other locations where Bangladeshis may be found include New Jersey, Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, Italy, Canada, and Australia.

Asia[]

South Asia[]

Maldives[]

According to the Maldivian foreign ministry; some 50,000 Bangladeshi were working in there in 2011, a nation of only around 400,000 people, with a third having no valid documents or registration.^[31]

Middle East[]

A Bangladeshi family in Saudi Arabia.

Bangladeshis in the Middle East form the largest part of the worldwide Bangladeshi diaspora. Between 2.3 million and 2.9 million live within the Middle East.

More than two million are in Saudi Arabia.^[38] The United Arab Emirates is home to 706,000.^[39] Oman has about 680,242 Bangladeshis as of 2018.^[9] There is one Bangladeshi school in Oman called Bangladesh School Muscat in Muscat.^{[citation needed]} Qatar has about 400,000 Bangladeshis as of 2019.^[11] There is one Bangladeshi school in Doha called Bangladesh MHM School & College. Bangladeshis in Qatar make more than 14% of the Qatar population.^{[citation needed]} Kuwait has about 350,000 Bangladeshis as of 2020.^[12] Bahrain has about 180,000 Bangladeshis as of 2017.^[40]

Saudi Arabia[]

The introduction of Islam to the Bengali people has generated a connection to the Arabian Peninsula, as Muslims are required to visit the land once in their lifetime to complete the Hajj pilgrimage. Several Bengali sultans funded Islamic institutions in the Hejaz, which popularly became known by the Arabs as Bangali Madaris. It is unknown when Bengalis began settling in Arab lands though an early example is that of Haji Shariatullah's teacher Mawlana Murad, who was permanently residing in the city of Mecca in the early 1800s.^[41]

There are around 3 Bangladeshi schools in Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.^{[citation needed]}

United Arab Emirates[]

There are 706,000 Bangladeshis residing in the United Arab Emirates as of 2020.^[39] There is one Bangladeshi school in UAE called Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Bangladesh Islamia School in Abu Dhabi. Bangladeshis make up around 7% of the UAE population and are 4th largest community in the UAE.^{[citation needed]}

East and Southeast Asia[]

Malaysia[]

The Bangladeshi population in Malaysia is 1,000,000 as of 2018.^[42]

South Korea[]

In South Korea, there are more than 12,678 Bangladeshi foreign workers in the country as of 2013.^[43] A few of them include illegal immigrants. The 2009 Korean film Bandhobi, directed by Sin Dong-il, depicts a Bangladeshi migrant in South Korea.^[44]

Japan[]

Bangladeshis in Japan (在日バングラデシュ人, Zainichi Banguradeshujin) form one of the smaller populations of foreigners in Japan. As of 2010, Japan's Ministry of Justice recorded 10,175 Bangladeshi nationals among the total population of registered foreigners in Japan.^[45]

Western world[]

United States[]

The census in 2000 found up to 95,300 were born in Bangladesh. It was until the 1990s when Bangladeshis, many from Dhaka, Chittagong, and Sylhet, started to move to the United States, and settled in urban areas such as New York, Paterson in New Jersey, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, New Jersey and Washington D.C.. Although recent findings claim that Bangladeshis started arriving during the late 19th centuries from the southern part of current Bangladesh. In some parts of Queens and Manhattan in New York City, there are Bangladeshi restaurant owners of Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani restaurants. The Baishakhi Mela celebration of the Bengali New Year is also held by the Bangladeshi American communities in New York, Paterson, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlantic Cityand other cities annually. The street of 3rd Street, Los Angeles has a large history of Bangladeshis and has officially been dubbed as "Little Bangladesh". However, some Bangladeshis residing in New York have settled in newer areas, such as Hamtramck, Michigan, Buffalo, New York, Paterson, New Jersey, and many other nearby states due to lower living costs and better job opportunities. Many Bangladeshis in New York City are often Taxi Drivers, Fast-Food Chain Workers, Restaurant Workers, software developer, computer scientists, medical doctors, attorneys, accountants, business owners etc. In Atlantic City many work in casinos.^{[citation needed]}

A 2020 estimate puts the number of Bangladeshis in the United States at 800,000.^[7]

Canada[]

Bangladeshi Canadian refers to a person of Bangladeshi background born in Canada or a Bangladeshi that has migrated to Canada. Before 1971 about 150 Bengali people came to Canada as East Pakistani. The main influx of migration of Bangladeshis started in the early 1980s. Back in 1988, about 700 Bangladeshi families lived in Toronto, though about another 900 families were living in Montreal. Now, Toronto has a sizeable Bangladeshi community significantly more numerous than Montreal's, with over 50,000 in the city proper and over 65,000 in the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto's eastern districts of East York and Scarborough on Danforth Avenue have a sizable Bangladeshi population. The area around Danforth has few Bangla stores and restaurants. Under the Investor Category, about 100 families moved to Canada since 2015.

Australia[]

Bangladeshis in Australia are one of the smallest immigrant communities living in Australia.^{[citation needed]} There are around 41,000 Bangladeshis in Australia.^[21] The largest Bangladeshi communities are mainly present in the states of New South Wales and Victoria, with large concentrations in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne.^{[citation needed]}

Europe[]

United Kingdom[]

Brick Lane has become the centre of London's Banglatown

Earliest records of Bengalis in the European continent date back to the reign of King George III of England during the 18th century. One such example is of James Achilles Kirkpatrick's hookah-bardar (hookah servant/preparer) who was said to have robbed and cheated Kirkpatrick, making his way to England and stylising himself as the Prince of Sylhet. The man, presumably from Sylhet in eastern Bengal, was waited upon by the Prime Minister of Great Britain William Pitt the Younger, and then dined with the Duke of York before presenting himself in front of the King.^[46] Mass migration started since the days of the British Raj, where lascars from Sylhet were often sent to the United Kingdom. Some of these lascars lived in the United Kingdom in port cities, and even married British women. Since then, mass migration has occurred, specifically from Sylhet. Today, the British Bangladeshis are a naturalised community in the United Kingdom, running 90% of all South Asian cuisine restaurants and having established numerous ethnic enclaves across the country – most prominent of which is Banglatown in East London.^[47]

The street of Brick Lane in East London, has a large history of Bangladeshis and has officially been dubbed as "Banglatown", and has hundreds of "Indian" restaurants nearly all owned by Sylheti Bangladeshis. Many British Bangladeshis have made their presence in the UK, often becoming doctors, engineers, and lawyers, but also many have become politicians for the Labour party, such as Rushanara Ali, and Tulip Siddiq, as well as London Borough Mayors, such as Lutfur Rahman and Nasim Ali.

Italy[]

Bangladeshis are one of the largest immigrant populations in Italy.^{[citation needed]} As of 2018, there were 140,000 Bangladeshis living in Italy.^[48] Most of the Bangladeshis in Italy are based in Lazio, Lombardy and Veneto with large concentrations in Rome, Milan and Venice.^{[citation needed]}

See also[]

• Bengali people
• Muhajir people

References[]