The Gujarati Diaspora: East Africa, the UK and the USA

How Gujarati speakers spread across the world, the communities in East Africa, the UK, the US and beyond, and how the language survives abroad.

Gujarat has a long history of trade and seafaring, and Gujarati merchants and families have travelled far for centuries. Today, Gujarati is spoken all over the world.

How many speakers?

Around 55 to 60 million people speak Gujarati worldwide, and it's one of the scheduled (officially recognised) languages of India.

Trade and migration

Gujarat's location on the Arabian Sea made it a historic hub of maritime trade with Arabia, Africa and beyond. Gujarati traders were active in the Indian Ocean long before the modern era, and successive waves of migration followed.

East Africa

Many Gujarati families settled in East Africa, particularly Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, working in trade, railways and business from the nineteenth century. In the 1960s and 1970s, political changes led many to move on, notably when Asians were expelled from Uganda in 1972, and many resettled in the UK, Canada and elsewhere. This "twice migration" left communities with both Indian and African cultural influences, and words from Swahili sometimes appear in their Gujarati.

The United Kingdom

Gujarati is among the most widely spoken South Asian languages in the UK. Big communities are found in Leicester, north-west London (especially Wembley and Harrow), Birmingham, Manchester and Bradford. Shops, temples, newspapers and community centres keep the language and traditions alive, with Diwali and Navratri celebrated at large scale.

The United States and Canada

Gujarati communities are large in New Jersey, New York, California, Texas and Illinois in the US, and in Ontario and British Columbia in Canada. Many work in medicine, technology, business and hospitality. Community organisations run Gujarati schools and cultural events.

Elsewhere

Gujarati communities are also found in South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, the Gulf, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

How the language survives abroad

Family: older generations speak Gujarati at home.
Community schools: weekend classes teach reading and writing.
Religious and cultural centres: temples, cultural societies and festivals.
Media: newspapers, radio, television and social media in Gujarati.
Music and film: songs, garba events and Gujarati cinema.
Family visits and connections with Gujarat.

Heritage learners

Many second and third generation Gujaratis understand and speak the language but find reading and writing hard. A dictionary that shows Gujarati script helps them connect spoken words to writing. Some also find that their vocabulary is home-centred, and want to add words for work, study and formal contexts.

Language change abroad

Diaspora Gujarati can borrow English words, mix languages in conversation (code-switching), and preserve older forms. This is natural, and adds variety.

Cultural events abroad

Big Navratri garba nights, Diwali, Uttarayan and Holi celebrations are held from London to New Jersey to Nairobi, bringing communities together.

Food and businesses

Gujarati food, from thalis to snacks, and businesses such as grocery stores, sweet shops and restaurants have spread worldwide. In many countries, Gujarati names are prominent in trade.

Preserving the language

Speak it at home.
Read Gujarati books and newspapers.
Watch shows and listen to songs.
Take a class or use a dictionary app.
Write letters to relatives.

Learning tips

Start with speaking, using family conversations.
Learn the script to read.
Use a dictionary for words you didn't grow up with.
Practise with relatives.

Common beginner errors

Feeling embarrassed about accent: most relatives are delighted to hear you.
Assuming spelling matches speech.

Look up Gujarati words in script with English Gujarati Dictionary →