Urdu in the United Kingdom
| British Urdu | |
|---|---|
| برطانوی اردو | |
| Pronunciation | [ˈbəɾt̪ɑːnʋiː ˈʊrduː] |
| Ethnicity | British Asians |
| Speakers | 270,000 (2021) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | ur |
| ISO 639-2 | urd |
| ISO 639-3 | urd |
| Glottolog | urdu1245 Urdu |
Urdu in the United Kingdom (Urdu: برطانیہ میں اردو) is the fourth most commonly spoken language. It is seen as the lingua franca for around two million British South Asians. According to the 2021 census, 270,000 people (0.5% of UK residents) listed Urdu as their main language, an increase of 1,000 from 2011. Ethnologue reports the total number of Urdu speakers in the UK at over 400,000. Since the 1990s, the Department of Health has issued patient information (pamphlets etc.) in Urdu in conjunction with local authorities, which has also led other organisations, institutions and councils to publish public information in Urdu.