Latin American migration to the United Kingdom

Latin American migration to the United Kingdom dates back to the early 19th century. Before the 1970s, when political and civil unrest became widespread in many Latin American countries, the Latin American community in the United Kingdom remained relatively small. Since then, economic migration to the UK has increased, with Brazilian- and Colombian-born residents forming the two largest Latin American groups, estimated at 79,000 and 16,000 respectively as of 2020/21.

A significant number of refugees and asylum seekers also arrived in the UK during the late 20th century. Since the turn of the century, Latin Americans have migrated to the UK for a wider range of reasons, and the community today includes people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, the UK is home to British-born people of Latin American ancestry.

During the 2008–2014 Spanish financial crisis, Britain became one of the preferred European destinations for some of the approximately 1.4 million Latin Americans who had acquired Spanish citizenship.

History and settlement

Early presence of political figures

Latin Americans have lived in what is now the United Kingdom for centuries, albeit in much smaller numbers than today.

In 1595, Sir Walter Raleigh established an alliance with the Indigenous chief Morequito of Spanish Guyana (present-day Venezuela). Morequito entrusted his son, Caywerace, to Raleigh for education in London, under an agreement that he would be installed as emperor of Guyana should England conquer the region.