British Bangladeshis make gains in education and employment despite persistent poverty

British Bangladeshis have made significant gains in education and employment in recent decades, even as the community continues to record high levels of poverty and relatively low household wealth, according to data cited in the research.

Bangladeshis in England and Wales, more than 90% of whom are Muslim, faced severe economic and social disadvantages in the 1980s, including low school attainment, limited English proficiency and high poverty, says The Economist.

Today, half of Bangladeshi households remain in the bottom national income quintile after housing costs. Median household wealth is below £100,000, compared with a national average of £300,000 across all ethnic groups.

But measures of educational attainment among younger generations show a marked improvement.

In 2021, 67% of Bangladeshi GCSE takers had enrolled in university by age 19, compared with 38% of white Britons. Bangladeshi students had surpassed white Britons in GCSE exam scores in the early 2010s.

University enrolment among Bangladeshis in engineering and technology has doubled over the past decade, while enrolment in medicine and dentistry has tripled.

Employment patterns have also changed, particularly among British-born Bangladeshi women.

Historically, overall household incomes have been affected by low economic activity among immigrant women, with only 32% of immigrant women aged 25 to 34 employed. Among British-born Bangladeshi women in the same age group, the employment rate has risen to 68%.

Among British-born Bangladeshis aged 25 to 34, 14% hold professional or managerial jobs, the same rate recorded among white Britons. The number of Bangladeshi teachers in English schools has also almost tripled since 2010-11.

Researchers say these improvements can be obscured by the continued arrival of immigrants. Nearly half of Britain's Bangladeshi population was born outside the country, meaning overall statistics combine newer arrivals with British-born generations whose educational and employment outcomes have improved substantially.

The changing profile is particularly relevant in London, where many British-born Bangladeshis are participating in the city's wider economy.

The figures suggest that while poverty and wealth gaps remain significant, generational changes in education and employment are reshaping the socioeconomic position of Britain's Bangladeshi population.