London population size: 120,000*
English level: Basic to moderate
Generation: 1st
Main language: Polish
Main faith: Roman Catholic, Jewish
- The history of east Europeans in London is focused mainly in the 20th Century. Of all the eastern European communities, Polish is the largest.
- London has seen a new wave of immigration from Poland with an estimated two million Poles having travelled to Britain since the borders opened in 2004.
- Since Poland and seven other central and eastern European countries (collectively known as the A8) joined the EU in May 2004, around 69% of all A8 citizens migrating to the UK have been Polish.
- It has been said that between the end of December 2003 to the end of September 2010, the Polish born population in the UK increased from 75,000 to 521,000.
Areas of London: Earl’s Court, Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing, Wandsworth, Enfield, Haringey
*at the time of official data collection.