UK-born Londoners, are your friends mostly British or mixed?

[Comfortable8520]

Random curiosity question for those who were born in the UK, and currently live in London.

How mixed are your friendship groups in terms of background or where people originally come from?

I've lived here for 17 years and recently noticed that many of my close friends are also from abroad. I'm wondering whether others find their social circles naturally end up quite international, or not really. Would be interesting to hear people's experiences.

By friendship I mean people you genuinely consider close friends, those you would meet outside work or structured settings, stay in touch with, invite to your home, rely on for support, etc., rather than just friendly colleagues or casual social contacts.

You are unreasonable = I'm British born and have plenty of close friends from all over the world.

You are NOT unreasonable= I'm British born and most of my close friends are from here.

Ah I see. So that aligns with my experience. Any thoughts why do you think that is?

Mostly British born. I've lived in London all my life.

Born and raised in London, still here. Friends are a mix of other Londoners who I’ve known for years and a few newcomers. DP is foreign.

Londoners are largely friends with other Londoners because everyone else left! I’ve lost count of the friends who went back to Poland or Ipswich or wherever.

My daughter is a teenager, born in London.
In primary school most of her friends were black, 1 White British and 1 White Polish.
Now she's in secondary, her friends are all kinds of mixed - Black, mixed White-European/Black Caribbean/African/East Asian/South Asian, full White British, White European...

I'm foreign and my closest friend group consists of an East Asian born, one born here to South Asian parents, Black born in Africa, Black born here, mixed heritage born here, White British and a White South African.

Round here, we can be friends with anyone who is sensible and open.

Mostly international. I found it hard to make friends with fellow Brits in London. They all seemed to have a group of friends they already knew from school or uni and I arrived in London knowing nobody.

Interesting, do you think there is any particular reason for that?

I live just outside london (used to live in central london) and work in central london. At work my colleagues are probably 50% british born (but very ethnically diverse) the rest are a real mix, including french, australian, canadian, new zealand, american, dutch, Italian, spanish, Brazilian, hong kong, chinese, polish, russian, romanian, ukrainian.

Where I live (a village) is less international. Most people are british born, quite a few have indian heritage, some black, not loads. There are quite a few Irish, French & American people, mostly who've married brits.

Interesting. Do you feel your close friends are still form here or all over the world now?

Yes I am still very close friends with people who I worked with previously. Obviously many more fade away. Most of my school/uni friends don’t live in London so that’s probably why I’ve put effort into maintaining my London friends even when changed jobs.

where did you meet your friends?

Not quite because I haven’t experiences particular nationalities sticking together such, just a general London / non London rule of thumb. I think it’s just than Londoners have established friendships from school and existing family connections, whereas the thing non Londoners have in common is the lack of those things.
It wasn’t a hard and fast rule imo though, I still had close friends from in or near London.

Most of the people who I consider friends do not live in London, especially those who have been friends since my teens or twenties. They are all born in the UK.

Wow. Thanks for sharing your experience. Do you think there is any particular reason why?

Thanks for sharing. Why, if I may ask?

Thanks for sharing! It does sounds like most of your friends are not UK-born, corect? If so, this aligns with my experience

My two closest friendship groups are both predominantly British but the vast majority of the ‘new’ friends I’ve made in the last 10/15 years are from overseas, mainly Western Europe as a function of where we live/where my DS goes to school. Most of his friends are Spanish, French or Italian.

I've heard a lot of Londoners left too 🙂 Dubai etc

Thanks! Do you feel your close friends are quite a mix of nationalities then?

It's mostly school partners for me, as well as people in the local area who I met though different activities (SW London). I never felt I am a close enough friend with a British born person though, not the same way as with European friends, for example...

Number of reasons, shared experiences through family, being working class areas I have lived have been far more diverse, changing work/studying meeting more people

I think many of us who are from families that are immigrants (more so non European cultures) will share similar cultural expectations from families but other times cultures are very different but that its different from British culture we understand and share this experience

Brits, Israeli, Nigerian, Ugandan, Pakistani, South African, Canadian, German, Serbian.

Blimey OP, are you doing some sort of research?

I've never seen so many questions.

I’m British and grew up in London, my friends were also from London British born.
When I got older and started work my friends were more of a mix, British and international

I know! It’s hardly a conversation. Is this OP’s homework? 😂

I've spent my life at school and at work with British born people. My mother was German born. My best friend's mother was born in Italy. Other friends parents came from Ireland and Wales. A neighbour was born in Scotland. Nowadays you'd be hard pressed to find born and bred Londoners like myself (my paternal family have lived here since the 17th century.) I'm not sure what you want from this thread?!

Is that because you used to live not in London and you are still close friends with people from teens only?