Africans in contemporary demography of the United Kingdom

The article is dedicated to the study of African diasporas in contemporary Britain concerning the demographic situation in the country. The object of the research is Africans in the United Kingdom. The subject of the study is the demographic indicators of communities of African origin. The chronological framework of the work primarily covers the early decades of the 21st century. The lower boundary of the indicated period is, due to the logic of scientific inquiry and as necessary, extended to earlier events. A detailed analysis has been carried out on the history of migration from Africa, the dynamics of the absolute and relative number of British Africans, the birth rate, and fertility indicators within their communities in the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century. The author pays special attention to the study of settlement patterns and the age and gender structure of migrants from Africa, the role and place of parents of African descent in the reproductive component of the country. Related issues faced by British Africans in the fields of education, employment, crime, and social welfare are also addressed. The author relies on a problem-historical approach, combined with the analytical method, principles of historicism, and objectivism, which form the methodological basis of the work. Quantitative analysis was used to process statistical materials. Since the mid-20th century, the number of British Africans has increased approximately one and a half to two times every ten years. This process was primarily driven by migration from former colonies between the 1950s and 1990s, and since the 2000s, it has been maintained by a high birth rate significantly exceeding what can be observed among the indigenous population. The African diaspora is primarily represented by newcomers and their descendants from Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, and Somalia. Traditions, knowledge of the languages of their countries of origin, socio-religious features, self-perception, obvious external differences, and a consistent increase in number and share within the country's population position Africans as significant actors rapidly changing the local culture. By the end of this century, it is likely that the dominance of the British population on the British Isles will cease, and a conglomerate of Afro-Asian and European communities of various origins, religions, cultures, and levels of organization will reside.