The Nepali community in the United Kingdom is now one of the largest in Europe, and it is not where most people assume it is. The 2021 Census counted 103,888 people in England and Wales who identified their ethnic group as Nepali (including Gurkha), with a further 2,842 in Scotland and 270 in Northern Ireland. London holds a large share — but the true heartland is the towns of Hampshire, Berkshire and Kent, built around the garrisons where the Brigade of Gurkhas came to be based.
Where Nepalis live in the UK
The single most Nepali place in Britain is Rushmoor in Hampshire — the borough that covers Aldershot and Farnborough. The Office for National Statistics recorded 10,575 Nepali residents there in 2021: 10.6% of the entire borough, the highest proportion of any local authority in England and Wales. Aldershot has been the home of the British Army since the 1850s, and when Gurkha families gained the right to settle in the UK, they settled next to the regiment.
| Area | Nepali population (2021 Census) |
|---|---|
| England & Wales (total) | 103,888 |
| Rushmoor (Aldershot & Farnborough) | 10,575 — 10.6% of residents, the highest in England & Wales |
| Ashford, Kent | 3.1% of residents |
| Reading | 3.1% of residents |
| Scotland | 2,842 (2022 Census) |
| Northern Ireland | 270 |
After Rushmoor, the largest concentrations are in Greenwich (particularly Plumstead), Reading, Hounslow and the west London boroughs, Ashford and Folkestone & Hythe in Kent, and Camberley and Fleet in Surrey and Hampshire. Beyond the South East there are long-established communities in Manchester, Birmingham, Swindon, Liverpool and Edinburgh, and a growing student and healthcare-worker population in almost every English city.
How the community got here
Nepali migration to Britain is bound up with Gurkha service, but for most of that history the Brigade of Gurkhas was based overseas — in Malaya and then Hong Kong — and only moved its headquarters to the UK in 1997. Settlement here in any numbers is therefore recent, and follows two specific changes to the Immigration Rules.
In October 2004, the rules were changed so that Gurkhas with at least four years' service who were discharged on or after 1 July 1997 could apply to settle in the UK. Those discharged before that date were still excluded — which is what the Gurkha Justice Campaign was fought over — and in May 2009, following the High Court ruling in Limbu the previous year, settlement was extended to them too. Thousands of retired Gurkhas and their families arrived in the years that followed, which is why the community skews towards particular towns rather than spreading evenly across the country.
The picture since has broadened well beyond the Army. Nepali nurses and care workers arrived in large numbers on the Health and Care Worker visa, students came for UK degrees and stayed on the Graduate route, and a second UK-born generation is now going through British schools.
For the full story, see our longer piece on the history of Nepalis in the UK.
Culture, festivals and food
Nepali culture in the UK is held together by the samaj — the local community associations that organise everything from festivals to funerals. There are more than fifty of them listed on belayat.uk, from the large district associations in Aldershot and London to small ethnic and regional groups meeting in hired halls.
Dashain and Tihar, the two biggest festivals in the Nepali calendar, are celebrated across the UK each autumn, usually over a weekend so that people can travel. Sports tournaments, Teej, Lhosar and Buddha Jayanti fill out the rest of the year. Our guide to Dashain and Tihar in the UK covers when they fall and how they are marked here, and the events listings carry what is actually happening in the next few weeks.
Food is the most visible part of the community to everyone else. There are now well over four hundred Nepali and Gurkha restaurants in the UK — momos, thukpa, sekuwa, khaja sets, and the Gurkha-curry-house style that grew up around the garrison towns. Aldershot alone supports dozens, and there are Nepali kitchens in London, Reading, Ashford, Plumstead and as far north as Edinburgh. Alongside them sit the Nepali grocery shops that stock gundruk, timur, dalle and the rest — see our guide to finding Nepali groceries.
Work and contribution
Nepalis are heavily represented in healthcare and social care: nursing, care homes and domiciliary care employ a very large share of recent arrivals, and the Health and Care Worker visa has been the main route into the UK for the past few years. Hospitality is the other pillar, with a large number of Nepali-owned restaurants, takeaways and catering businesses. Beyond those two, the community runs travel agents, cargo and remittance firms, construction and trades businesses, accountants, mortgage brokers and IT consultancies — several hundred of them are listed in our business directory.
Ex-Gurkhas also carry service pensions and a strong tradition of veterans' welfare organisations, and Nepali charities in the UK have raised significant sums for earthquake relief and development work back home.
The challenges
The community faces real difficulties alongside the success stories. Language is the first: many older ex-Gurkha family members arrived in later life with limited English, which makes GP appointments, benefits and council services hard to navigate alone. Housing costs in Rushmoor and west London are high relative to typical wages in care and hospitality. Recognition of Nepali qualifications is patchy, so people frequently work well below their training. Elderly isolation is a recurring theme — particularly for parents brought over on dependant visas who cannot access public funds.
Much of what makes this easier is simply knowing how the system works. Our new-arrival guides cover the practical ground: getting a National Insurance number, registering with a GP, opening a bank account, working in care, renewing a Nepali passport in the UK and sending money home.
Finding the Nepali community near you
belayat.uk lists over eight hundred Nepali businesses, associations and community organisations across the UK, with the largest clusters in London and Aldershot. If you have just arrived, or moved to a new town, these are the quickest ways in:
- Associations and samaj — the local community group is almost always the fastest route to everything else
- Events — Dashain and Tihar programmes, sports tournaments, cultural nights
- Restaurants and grocery shops — noticeboards in Nepali shops are still where a lot of the community actually communicates
- Temples and religious organisations
- New-arrival guides — the paperwork side of settling in
Frequently asked questions
How many Nepalis live in the UK?
The 2021 Census recorded 103,888 people of Nepali ethnicity in England and Wales, plus 2,842 in Scotland and 270 in Northern Ireland — roughly 107,000 in total. The true figure today is higher, as the census predates the large wave of Health and Care Worker and student arrivals.
Which town in the UK has the most Nepalis?
Aldershot, in the borough of Rushmoor, Hampshire. Rushmoor's population is 10.6% Nepali — the highest proportion of any local authority in England and Wales — because of its long association with the Brigade of Gurkhas.
Why do so many Nepalis live in Aldershot?
Aldershot has been the home of the British Army since the 1850s and is the base of the Brigade of Gurkhas. When Gurkha veterans won the right to settle in the UK in 2004 and 2009, most settled close to the garrison, and family reunification concentrated the community further.
When are Dashain and Tihar celebrated in the UK?
Both fall in the autumn, following the Nepali lunar calendar — Dashain usually in late September or October, Tihar two to three weeks later. UK celebrations are normally held on the nearest weekend. See our Dashain and Tihar guide and the events listings.
Where can I find Nepali food and groceries in the UK?
There are Nepali restaurants in most large towns and Nepali grocery shops in every area with a sizeable community. Browse restaurants and grocery shops by town, or read the grocery guide.
Sources: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021 (ethnic group, England and Wales); National Records of Scotland, Scotland's Census 2022; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Census 2021. Population figures are as recorded at the census and will understate arrivals since.
Run a Nepali business, association or community group in the UK? Add it to the directory — listing is free.