See also: British Asians, British East and Southeast Asian, Central Asians in the United Kingdom, and Southeast Asians in the United Kingdom
This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2018)
Ethnic group
East Asians in the United Kingdom
Total population
England and Wales only: 515,032 – 0.9% (2021)[1]
Chinese – 445,619 – 0.8% (2021)
Japanese – 29,510 – 0.05% (2021)
Korean – 21,118 – 0.04% (2021)
Taiwanese – 4,222 – 0.01% (2021)
Other East Asian/East Asian unspecified: 14,563 – 0.02% (2021)
Does not include any East Asians who may be in the 'Other Ethnic Group' as provided by the Office for National Statistics for the 2021 census.
Regions with significant populations
London, Belfast, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow, Edinburgh, York
Languages
Cantonese – 55,555 Mandarin Chinese – 30,820 All other Chinese – 118,271 Japanese – 22,548 Korean – 12,117 All other East Asian languages – 12,001
Number of speakers in England & Wales as a main language, of all usual residents aged 3 and over, from the 2021 census.[2]
Religion
Buddhism, Christianity, East Asian religions, Islam, Non-religious, others
Related ethnic groups
Asians
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East Asians in the United Kingdom are East Asians living in the United Kingdom. They have been present in the country since the 17th century and primarily originate from countries such as China, Hong Kong (SAR of China), Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. They are called "East Asian" or "Oriental", although – dependent upon the context – the use of the term "Oriental" might be considered by some to be derogatory or offensive.[3][4] In the 2001 British census, the term Chinese or Other is used.
In the 2001 Census, East Asians were included in the "Asian or Asian British" grouping in England and Wales, and in the "Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British" grouping in Scotland.[5] The 2011 Census questionnaire grouped East Asians under a broad "Asian/Asian British" ("Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British" in Scotland) heading in all parts of the UK.[6]
^"TS:002 Ethnic group (detailed)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
^"TS024 - Main language (detailed)". Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
^Verkaik, Robert (13 May 2004). "Judges given new advice on political correctness". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
^Aspinall, Peter (2005). "Language matters: the vocabulary of racism in health care". Journal of Health Services Research & Policy. 10 (1): 57–59. doi:10.1258/1355819052801769. PMID 15667706.
^"A guide to comparing 1991 and 2001 Census ethnic group data" (PDF). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
^"Ethnic group". Office for National Statistics. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
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Global Information
England and 
Wales only: