Members of Parliament and academic experts have raised alarm over the vast number of human remains from overseas still held in British museums and universities, arguing that the scale of the collections highlights unresolved ethical and historical questions.

An extensive investigation has found that institutions across the United Kingdom collectively hold more than two hundred and sixty thousand items of human remains, including skeletons, mummified bodies, skulls, bones, hair and teeth.

Of these, at least thirty-seven thousand items are known to originate from outside the country, while the provenance of thousands more remains unclear due to incomplete records and historic gaps in cataloguing.

The findings show that collections of human remains are spread across more than two hundred museums, universities and local authorities.

Many of the items date back to the era of the British Empire, when bodies and body parts were collected for scientific research, anthropology and museum displays.

Critics say some of these remains were removed from burial sites or battlefields during colonial expeditions and transported to Britain.

Lawmakers involved in the debate argue that the continued storage of human remains from other countries raises profound moral and cultural concerns.

Some have described the collections as evidence of an imperial legacy that has yet to be fully addressed, particularly when institutions cannot identify the individuals represented in their holdings or the circumstances under which the remains were acquired.

The largest known collections of non-European remains are held by major academic and scientific institutions.

The Natural History Museum in London possesses more than eleven thousand items from outside Europe, while the University of Cambridge maintains thousands of remains within its anthropological collections, including a large number identified as originating from Africa.

Researchers examining the data note that many institutions struggle to determine the exact number of individuals represented in their collections because remains from different people were sometimes mixed together in earlier decades.

In some cases, museums have acknowledged storing boxes of human remains without precise records of origin or identity.

Experts and lawmakers are calling on the government to establish a comprehensive national register documenting human remains held by public institutions.

Supporters of the proposal say such a database would provide transparency and help communities of origin identify ancestors who may be eligible for repatriation.

Advocates also argue that clearer legislation and updated guidance are needed to ensure remains are handled respectfully and returned when appropriate.

Current rules allow certain national museums to transfer human remains under specific conditions, but campaigners say the process is often slow and complicated.

Some museums have stated that they follow ethical guidelines for the care of human remains and have cooperated with requests from communities seeking the return of ancestors.

However, the scale of the collections and the uncertainty surrounding their origins have intensified calls for broader reforms and deeper research into the history of these holdings.