Regional ethnic diversity
Published
- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to Areas of England and Wales by ethnicity section
- 4. Navigate to Ethnic groups by region section
- 5. Navigate to Ethnic diversity by local authority section
- 6. Navigate toData sources section
- 7. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
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according to the 2021 Census, London was the most ethnically diverse region in England and Wales
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out of all regions, London had the smallest percentage of people who identified as white British, and the North East and Wales had the largest percentage
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more white people lived in the South East than anywhere else, and more people from the black, Asian, mixed and ‘other’ ethnic groups lived in London than anywhere else
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Newham in London was the most ethnically diverse of all local authorities in England and Wales
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data measures the ethnic diversity of England and Wales by region and local authority.
Census data includes people in around 25 million private households. It also includes communal establishments, such as care homes and university halls of residence.
Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place.
Read more about the 2021 Census.
Not included in the data
The data does not include households that did not answer the question about ethnicity.
97% of people completed the Census.
The data has been adjusted to take into account people and households who were not counted or counted incorrectly.
The ethnic groups used in the data
This data uses the standardised list of 19 ethnic groups that were developed for the 2021 Census.
The ethnic groups used in the 2021 Census were slightly different from the 2011 Census ethnic groups.
There were 2 changes in 2021 – the ‘Roma’ group was added under the ‘white’ ethnic group, and people could write their own response under the ‘black African’ ethnic group.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document for this data.
You can find confidence intervals for the data in the interactive tools showing the quality and quality assurance.
In the data file
See download the data for additional local authority data, including:
- the ethnic breakdowns in each local authority
- the percentage of each ethnic group that lives there
3. Areas of England and Wales by ethnicity
| Geography | Asian | Black | Mixed | White British | White other | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| East Midlands | 8.0 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 79.6 | 6.1 | 1.3 |
| East of England | 6.4 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 78.5 | 8.0 | 1.4 |
| London | 20.7 | 13.5 | 5.7 | 36.8 | 17.0 | 6.3 |
| North East | 3.7 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 90.6 | 2.5 | 1.0 |
| North West | 8.4 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 81.2 | 4.4 | 1.5 |
| South East | 7.0 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 78.8 | 7.5 | 1.5 |
| South West | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 87.8 | 5.3 | 0.9 |
| Wales | 2.9 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 90.6 | 3.3 | 0.9 |
| West Midlands | 13.3 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 71.8 | 5.2 | 2.1 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 8.9 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 80.9 | 4.5 | 1.4 |
Download table data for ‘Areas of England and Wales by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Areas of England and Wales by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Regional ethnic diversity Areas of England and Wales by ethnicity Summary
2021 Census data for England and Wales shows that:
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the most ethnically diverse region was London – 46.2% of residents identified with Asian, black, mixed or ‘other’ ethnic groups, and a further 17.0% with white ethnic minorities
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the least ethnically diverse region was the North East – 7.0% of residents identified with Asian, black, mixed or ‘other’ ethnic groups, and a further 2.4% with white ethnic minorities
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out of all regions, the North East and Wales had the highest percentage of people who identified as white British (both 90.6%) – London had the lowest (36.8%)
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London (20.7%) and the West Midlands (13.3%) had the highest percentage of people who identified as Asian – the South West (2.8%) and Wales (2.9%) had the lowest
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London (13.5%) and the West Midlands (4.5%) had the highest percentage of people who identified as black – the North East (1.0%) and Wales (0.9%) had the lowest
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London (5.7%) and the West Midlands (3.0%) had the highest percentage of people with mixed ethnicity – the North East (1.3%) and Wales (1.6%) had the lowest
4. Ethnic groups by region
| Ethnicity | All | East Midlands | East of England | London | North East | North West | South East | South West | Wales | West Midlands | Yorkshire and The Humber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| All | 100.0 | 8.2 | 10.6 | 14.8 | 4.4 | 12.4 | 15.6 | 9.6 | 5.2 | 10.0 | 9.2 |
| Asian | 100.0 | 7.1 | 7.4 | 33.0 | 1.8 | 11.3 | 11.8 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 14.4 | 8.8 |
| Bangladeshi | 100.0 | 3.3 | 7.9 | 49.9 | 2.5 | 9.4 | 6.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 12.0 | 4.5 |
| Chinese | 100.0 | 5.2 | 8.6 | 33.1 | 3.2 | 12.1 | 14.4 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 7.5 | 6.6 |
| Indian | 100.0 | 12.3 | 7.3 | 35.2 | 1.2 | 7.5 | 13.0 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 14.8 | 4.4 |
| Pakistani | 100.0 | 4.5 | 6.3 | 18.3 | 1.7 | 19.1 | 9.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 20.1 | 18.7 |
| Asian other | 100.0 | 4.8 | 8.3 | 41.2 | 1.8 | 6.6 | 16.4 | 4.5 | 2.1 | 9.1 | 5.2 |
| Black | 100.0 | 5.4 | 7.7 | 49.3 | 1.1 | 7.2 | 9.2 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 11.2 | 4.9 |
| Black African | 100.0 | 5.6 | 8.0 | 46.8 | 1.5 | 8.5 | 10.1 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 9.8 | 5.4 |
| Black Caribbean | 100.0 | 4.9 | 6.7 | 55.4 | 0.3 | 4.2 | 7.0 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 14.5 | 3.6 |
| Black other | 100.0 | 5.4 | 8.2 | 49.0 | 1.0 | 7.2 | 9.2 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 11.0 | 4.7 |
| Mixed | 100.0 | 6.8 | 10.5 | 29.4 | 1.9 | 9.5 | 15.2 | 6.6 | 2.8 | 10.4 | 6.8 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 100.0 | 6.3 | 10.5 | 25.6 | 2.6 | 9.8 | 18.0 | 7.2 | 2.9 | 9.5 | 7.6 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 100.0 | 5.7 | 11.0 | 31.0 | 2.6 | 12.0 | 15.5 | 6.3 | 3.2 | 6.4 | 6.3 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 100.0 | 9.0 | 10.1 | 25.8 | 1.1 | 9.2 | 12.1 | 6.5 | 2.7 | 15.8 | 7.7 |
| Mixed other | 100.0 | 5.5 | 10.5 | 36.5 | 1.8 | 8.2 | 15.4 | 6.5 | 2.7 | 7.4 | 5.4 |
| White | 100.0 | 8.6 | 11.2 | 9.7 | 5.1 | 13.0 | 16.4 | 10.9 | 6.0 | 9.4 | 9.6 |
| Gypsy/Irish Traveller | 100.0 | 6.8 | 13.2 | 10.4 | 3.9 | 8.5 | 24.7 | 9.4 | 5.2 | 9.2 | 8.7 |
| Roma | 100.0 | 7.1 | 9.6 | 37.3 | 2.4 | 7.3 | 12.7 | 5.7 | 1.8 | 6.7 | 9.4 |
| White British | 100.0 | 8.8 | 11.2 | 7.3 | 5.4 | 13.6 | 16.5 | 11.3 | 6.3 | 9.6 | 10.0 |
| White Irish | 100.0 | 5.3 | 11.4 | 30.8 | 1.7 | 12.1 | 15.4 | 6.2 | 2.6 | 9.4 | 5.0 |
| White other | 100.0 | 7.0 | 11.7 | 35.2 | 1.4 | 6.9 | 16.0 | 7.0 | 2.3 | 6.8 | 5.7 |
| Other | 100.0 | 4.9 | 6.9 | 44.3 | 2.1 | 8.8 | 10.8 | 3.9 | 2.1 | 9.9 | 6.3 |
| Arab | 100.0 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 42.1 | 3.1 | 13.2 | 8.9 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 9.6 | 7.7 |
| Any other | 100.0 | 5.3 | 7.6 | 45.1 | 1.7 | 7.2 | 11.5 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 10.0 | 5.8 |
Download table data for ‘Ethnic groups by region’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Ethnic groups by region’ (CSV)
Summary of Regional ethnic diversity Ethnic groups by region Summary
2021 Census data shows that:
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people living in London and the South East made up 30.4% of the total population of England and Wales
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the North East (4.4%) and Wales (5.2%) had the smallest percentages of the population out of all regions
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out of all regions, more white people lived in the South East (16.4%) and the North West (13.0%) than anywhere else, although people who identified with white minority groups were more likely to live in London – 30.8% of white Irish people, and 35.2% of people in the white ‘other’ ethnic group lived in London
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49.3% of black people, 33.0% of Asian people, 29.4% of people with mixed ethnicity, and 44.3% of people from the ‘other’ ethnic group lived in London
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14.4% of Asian people and 11.2% of black people lived in the West Midlands
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20.1% of people in the Pakistani ethnic group lived in the West Midlands, 19.1% in the North West, and 18.7% in Yorkshire and the Humber
5. Ethnic diversity by local authority
| Size of White population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Local Authority | Size of White population % | Size of White population Position |
| Newham | 30.8 | 1 |
| Brent | 34.6 | 2 |
| Redbridge | 34.8 | 3 |
| Slough | 36.0 | 4 |
| Harrow | 36.5 | 5 |
| Tower Hamlets | 39.4 | 6 |
| Leicester | 40.9 | 7 |
| Ealing | 43.2 | 8 |
| Hounslow | 44.1 | 9 |
| Barking and Dagenham | 44.9 | 10 |
| Mid Devon | 97.8 | 323 |
| Hambleton | 97.9 | 324 |
| Copeland | 98.0 | 325 |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 98.0 | 326 |
| North Norfolk | 98.1 | 327 |
| Eden | 98.1 | 328 |
| Isle of Anglesey | 98.1 | 329 |
| Ryedale | 98.2 | 330 |
| Torridge | 98.2 | 331 |
| Allerdale | 98.5 | 332 |
Download table data for ‘Ethnic diversity by local authority’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Ethnic diversity by local authority’ (CSV)
Summary of Regional ethnic diversity Ethnic diversity by local authority Summary
‘Ethnic diversity’ here refers to the percentage of the population that is not from the white ethnic group in each local authority.
The data shows that:
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out of all local authorities, Newham in London was the most ethnically diverse, with people from the Asian, black, mixed and ‘other’ ethnic groups making up 69.2% of the population
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8 out of the 10 most ethnically diverse local authorities were in London
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outside London, Slough was the most ethnically diverse local authority, with people from the Asian, black, mixed and ‘other’ ethnic groups making up 64.0% of the population
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of the 10 local authorities where white people made up the highest percentage of the population, 3 were in the North West, 2 were in Yorkshire and the Humber, and 2 were in the South West
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Allerdale in the North West was the least ethnically diverse out of all local authorities, with white people making up 98.5% of the population – they made up 98.2% of the population in both Torridge and Ryedale
6. Data sources
Source
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Office for National Statistics
Publication frequency
10 years
Purpose of data source
The Census takes place every 10 years. Census data gives the government the information it needs to plan and run public services. It is also used as a benchmark for other statistical estimates, and can help illustrate differences between various groups in the population.
7. Download the data
This file contains the following variables: Measure, Source, Time, Geography, Geography_code, Ethnicity, Ethnicity_type, Regional, Population, Ethnic Population, Total Ethnic Population, Value1, Value1_type, Value2, Value2_type
This file contains the following variables: Measure, Source, Time, Geography, Geography_code, Ethnicity, Ethnicity_type, Regional, Population, Ethnic Population, Total Ethnic Population, Value1, Value1_type, Value2, Value2_type