According to the 2011 UK Census, black Scottish people were numbered at about 36,000. This figure indicates an increase in population of 28,000 black Scots since 2001. The group represents around 0.7 percent of Scotland's population, compared to 3.0 percent of the overall UK population.
Identity
The identity of black Scottish people has evolved since the arrival of black people in Scotland as early as the 15th-century, with significant numbers arriving in the 20th-century. The development of a cohesive black Scottish identity has progressed, with black African and Afro-Caribbean descent the most commonly claimed ancestry involved in the sense of identity. Among other factors, studies into the experiences of Scottish Somalis, who tend to be historically newer immigrant groups to the nation, have shown that ethnoreligious factors can complication the expression of any monocultural or racial identity of black Scots.
Notable contributions
Arts and entertainment
Stewart Kyasimire
Kayus Bankole
Shereen Cutkelvin
Alloysious Massaquoi
Nicolette
Tony Osoba
Finley Quaye
Emeli Sandé
Jackie Kay
Eunice Olumide
Layla-Roxanne Hill
Luke Sutherland
Rwanda-born Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa has received attention for his breakthrough role in TV seriesSex Education. Gatwa has spoken regarding there being little black Scottish presence while growing up in Edinburgh, stating "There were no black Scottish role models".
The British Guiana-born Andrew Watson is widely considered to be the world's first association footballer of black heritage to play at international level. He was capped three times for Scotland between 1881 and 1882. Watson also played for Queen's Park, the leading Scottish club at the time, and later became their secretary. He led the team to several Scottish Cup wins, thus becoming the first player of black heritage to win a major competition. With some brief exceptions, such as Jamaican born Gil Heron at Celtic, Walter Tull signing for Rangers, and John Walker at Hearts, Black players largely disappeared from Scottish football for the next 100 years until the arrival of Mark Walters at Rangers in 1988. Walters arrival at the club resulted in incidents of racial abuse. The Scotland national team did not call up a second player of black heritage until Nigel Quashie, made his debut against Estonia in May 2004. He qualified to play for Scotland, due to having a grandfather from Scotland. Subsequently Coatbridge born Chris Iwelumo, has also played for Scotland. Other notable Scottish players with black heritage include:
The group have faced prejudice and racism in Scottish society. In a Strathclyde University survey, almost 45 percent of black Scots reported experiencing discrimination between 2010 and 2015.
Tavish Finnegan DeGroot, more well known as the Demoman from Team Fortress 2, is a self-described "black Scottish cyclops".
Jerome "Chef" McElroy, a character from South Park, hails from Scotland.
Jim "Jock" McClaren, a character in Porridge.
Elmo McElroy in The 51st State is a descendant of a relationship between a slave and their owner who is of the McElroy clan; thereby making him the heir to the ancestral estate.
In 2019, multiple media sources reported that African-American actor Denzel Washington would play the Scottish title character in Joel Coen's movie adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.
