Lithuanians in the United Kingdom

Lithuanians in the United Kingdom include individuals born in Lithuania who have migrated to the UK as well as their British-born descendants. The 2011 UK Census recorded 95,730 Lithuanian-born residents in England, 1,353 in Wales,[1] 4,287 in Scotland,[2] and 7,341 in Northern Ireland.[3] The previous, 2001 UK Census, had recorded 4,363 Lithuanian-born residents.[4] The Office for National Statistics estimates that 144,000 Lithuanian-born immigrants were resident in the UK in 2013.[5]

Significant numbers of Lithuanians have come to the UK since Lithuania's European Union accession in 2004;[6] however, there have been historically notable Lithuanians communities in the UK since the early 20th century—most notably in Scotland (Glasgow and the mining communities of North Lanarkshire and Midlothian)[7] and London.[8][9] In Scotland, the first Lithuanians came during the latter part of the 19th century.[10] Between 1886 and 1914, around one in four Lithuanians emigrated from Lithuania, with most of those leaving doing so in the 1890s and 1900s.[8] Some of these emigrants were avoiding conscription into the Russian military, some were Lithuanian freedom fighters, others were Jews escaping persecution, and some were fleeing poverty.[11][12] The Lithuanian population of Scotland is estimated to have grown from a few hundred to 7,000. An estimated 2,000 Lithuanians settled elsewhere in Britain during this period. Around 15,000 Lithuanians also resided in Scotland temporarily, before migrating onwards to other countries; most notably the United States.[8] According to the BBC, some travelled to Scotland because they could not afford travel to the US, whereas others were duped; thinking that they had actually arrived in the United States.[11]