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- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toBy ethnicity section
- 3. Navigate toBy ethnicity over time section
- 4. Navigate toBy ethnicity and grade section
- 5. Navigate toBy ethnicity and area section
- 6. Navigate toBy ethnicity and gender section
- 7. Navigate toBy ethnicity and age group section
- 8. Navigate to Methodology section
- 9. Navigate to Data sources section
- 10. Navigate to Download the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- as at 31 March 2018, there were around 430,000 civil servants in the UK
- of staff whose ethnicity was known, 88.0% were White and 12.0% were from all other ethnic groups combined – by comparison, 86.0% of the population of England and Wales described themselves as White in the 2011 Census
- Asian staff made up the second highest percentage of civil servants, at 6.4%; looking at specific grades, Asian staff made up 4.4% of those at the most senior grade (Senior Civil Service), compared with 6.7% and 7.6% of those at the lowest grades (administrative officers and assistants, and executive officers, respectively)
- out of all regions in the UK, London had the highest percentage of staff from the Asian (16.7%), Black (11.6%), Mixed (3.3%), Chinese (0.7%) and the Other (1.3%) ethnic groups
- male civil servants were slightly more likely to be White (89.1%) than female civil servants (87.2%)
- with the exception of the 16 to 19 age group, younger staff were more likely to be from an ethnic minority group (excluding White minorities) – 17.1% of staff aged 20 to 29 years were from these groups, compared with 8.1% of those aged 60 to 64 years
Things you need to know
25% of civil servants didn’t report their ethnicity (around 108,000 out of 430,000 civil servants in 2018). The numbers of civil service staff with unknown ethnicity are included in the tables and in the total headcounts, but the percentages shown here are based only on staff whose ethnicity was known.
Civil service staff numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. For this reason some figures may not add up to the totals shown, and consideration should be taken when calculating and interpreting percentages
The data doesn’t include people working for:
- the NHS
- non-departmental public bodies
- the Civil Service abroad
- the Northern Ireland Civil Service, which supports the devolved government in Northern Ireland
- central government in security posts
It doesn’t include people not on the payroll or not being paid during the time period covered, for example contractors or staff taking unpaid leave.
There are 2 measures of the senior Civil Service available: the Senior Civil Service and ‘SCS Level’. ONS statistics measure ‘SCS Level’ employees, which include a number of health professionals, military personnel and senior diplomats, as well as those working in the Senior Civil Service. As a result, these statistics may be different to those used for monitoring diversity of the Senior Civil Service.
What the data measures
This data measures the percentage of people working for the Civil Service from different ethnic groups. It also analyses this information by grade, region, gender and age.
The data includes Civil Service staff working in the UK on a specific date (31 March 2018), rather than throughout the whole year.
It was collected as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, which counts how many people are employed in the Civil Service, and how diverse the workforce is.
As at 31 March 2018, the total Civil Service workforce was 430,070 (331,390 full-time staff and 98,680 part-time).
The data shows the actual number of staff employed by the Civil Service (known as ‘headcount’) regardless of whether they work full time or part time.
The ethnic categories used in this data
This data is broken down into the following 6 broad groups:
- Asian
- Black
- Chinese
- Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups
- White
- Other ethnic group
These were chosen because the number of people becomes too small to be reliable when broken down both by ethnicity (in detailed categories) and by another factor like age group. Data is therefore grouped to a size where estimates become reliable.
2. By ethnicity
| Ethnicity | % | Headcount |
|---|---|---|
| Asian | 6.4 | 20,470 |
| Black | 3.2 | 10,350 |
| Chinese | 0.3 | 960 |
| Mixed | 1.5 | 4,950 |
| White | 88.0 | 283,300 |
| Other | 0.5 | 1,740 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 108,310 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service workforce By ethnicity Summary
The data shows that:
- as at March 2018, there were around 430,000 civil servants and ethnicity was known for 75% of them
- of staff whose ethnicity was known, White staff made up 88.0%, followed by Asian staff (6.4%), Black staff (3.2%), staff with Mixed ethnicity (1.5%), staff from the Other ethnic group (0.5%) and staff from the Chinese ethnic group (0.3%)
3. By ethnicity over time
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | 2015 % | 2015 Headcount | 2016 % | 2016 Headcount | 2017 % | 2017 Headcount | 2018 % | 2018 Headcount |
| Asian | 5.4 | 18,560 | 5.8 | 18,690 | 6.2 | 19,780 | 6.4 | 20,470 |
| Black | 3.0 | 10,210 | 3.1 | 9,950 | 3.2 | 10,230 | 3.2 | 10,350 |
| Chinese | 0.3 | 890 | 0.3 | 880 | 0.3 | 910 | 0.3 | 960 |
| Mixed | 1.3 | 4,410 | 1.4 | 4,460 | 1.5 | 4,740 | 1.5 | 4,950 |
| White | 89.4 | 305,550 | 88.8 | 284,140 | 88.4 | 283,740 | 88.0 | 283,300 |
| Other | 0.6 | 2,040 | 0.5 | 1,710 | 0.5 | 1,750 | 0.5 | 1,740 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 97,670 | N/A* | 98,510 | N/A* | 98,250 | N/A* | 108,310 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service workforce By ethnicity over time Summary
The data shows that, where ethnicity was known:
- staff from each of the Asian, Black and Mixed ethnic groups made up a larger number and percentage of the Civil Service workforce in 2018 compared with 2015, while staff from the White and Other ethnic groups made up a smaller number and percentage in 2018 than in 2015
- from 2015 to 2018, the percentage of Civil Service staff from an ethnic minority background (excluding White minorities) increased by 1.4 percentage points, from 10.6% to 12.0% in 2018.
- the percentage of civil servants from the Asian ethnic group increased from 5.4% in 2015 to 6.4% in 2018 – this was the largest increase out of all ethnic groups, in both percentage and numerical terms (at 1.0 percentage point, and 1,910 staff)
- in the same period, the percentage of civil servants from the White ethnic group decreased from 89.4% in 2015 to 88.0% in 2018 (a fall of 1.4 percentage points, or 22,250 staff)
4. By ethnicity and grade
| Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | Asian % | Asian Headcount | Black % | Black Headcount | Chinese % | Chinese Headcount | Mixed % | Mixed Headcount | White % | White Headcount | Other % | Other Headcount |
| Administrative officers and assistants | 6.7 | 7,150 | 3.3 | 3,480 | 0.3 | 280 | 1.3 | 1,390 | 87.9 | 93,470 | 0.5 | 510 |
| Executive officer | 7.6 | 6,560 | 4.0 | 3,490 | 0.3 | 230 | 1.5 | 1,280 | 86.1 | 74,400 | 0.6 | 490 |
| Senior and higher executive officer | 5.7 | 4,670 | 2.8 | 2,350 | 0.4 | 300 | 1.7 | 1,370 | 88.9 | 73,170 | 0.5 | 450 |
| Grades 6 & 7 | 4.4 | 1,540 | 1.9 | 650 | 0.4 | 130 | 2.0 | 690 | 90.7 | 31,820 | 0.7 | 240 |
| Senior Civil Service | 4.4 | 190 | 1.2 | 50 | 0.3 | 10 | 1.4 | 60 | 92.2 | 3,920 | 0.6 | 20 |
| Unknown grade | N/A* | 370 | N/A* | 330 | N/A* | 20 | N/A* | 170 | N/A* | 6,510 | N/A* | 30 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and grade’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and grade’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service workforce By ethnicity and grade Summary
The data shows that, where ethnicity was known:
- staff from the Asian, Black and Mixed ethnic groups made up 4.4%, 1.2% and 1.4% respectively of civil servants at Senior Civil Service grade (the highest grade), compared with 6.7%, 3.3% and 1.3% respectively of administrative officers and assistants (the most junior grade)
- White staff made up 92.2% of staff at Senior Civil Service grade, compared with 87.9% of staff at administrative officers and assistants grade
- of all staff grades, the executive officer grade (the second most junior grade) had the highest percentage of staff from both the Asian (7.6%) and Black (4.0%) ethnic groups
5. By ethnicity and area
| Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region or Country | Asian % | Asian Headcount | Black % | Black Headcount | Chinese % | Chinese Headcount | Mixed % | Mixed Headcount | White % | White Headcount | Other % | Other Headcount |
| UK | 6.4 | 20,470 | 3.2 | 10,350 | 0.3 | 960 | 1.5 | 4,950 | 88.0 | 283,300 | 0.5 | 1,740 |
| North East | 1.1 | 240 | 0.3 | 70 | 0.2 | 40 | 0.7 | 150 | 97.6 | 21,670 | 0.2 | 40 |
| North West | 3.9 | 1,570 | 1.0 | 410 | 0.3 | 110 | 1.2 | 480 | 93.4 | 38,130 | 0.3 | 130 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 6.2 | 1,580 | 1.3 | 340 | 0.2 | 50 | 1.2 | 310 | 90.7 | 22,990 | 0.3 | 90 |
| East Midlands | 8.6 | 1,260 | 2.1 | 310 | 0.1 | 20 | 1.4 | 210 | 87.4 | 12,840 | 0.4 | 50 |
| West Midlands | 13.7 | 2,780 | 3.9 | 790 | 0.2 | 40 | 1.6 | 320 | 80.1 | 16,260 | 0.5 | 100 |
| East | 5.0 | 820 | 2.3 | 380 | 0.3 | 50 | 1.4 | 240 | 90.4 | 14,880 | 0.7 | 110 |
| London | 16.7 | 10,030 | 11.6 | 6,950 | 0.7 | 440 | 3.3 | 2,000 | 66.3 | 39,730 | 1.3 | 780 |
| South East | 3.3 | 950 | 1.6 | 450 | 0.3 | 80 | 1.3 | 380 | 93.0 | 26,650 | 0.5 | 150 |
| South West | 1.5 | 450 | 1.1 | 320 | 0.2 | 50 | 1.2 | 340 | 95.7 | 28,050 | 0.3 | 100 |
| Wales | 1.1 | 280 | 0.5 | 140 | 0.2 | 50 | 1.0 | 260 | 96.9 | 25,240 | 0.3 | 90 |
| Scotland | 1.1 | 340 | 0.4 | 140 | 0.1 | 40 | 0.6 | 180 | 97.5 | 30,630 | 0.3 | 90 |
| Northern Ireland | 0.2 | 10 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 0.3 | 10 | 99.2 | 2,940 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Unknown | N/A* | 30 | N/A* | 10 | N/A* | 0 | N/A* | 10 | N/A* | 670 | N/A* | 10 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and area’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and area’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service workforce By ethnicity and area Summary
The data shows that, where ethnicity was known:
- out of all regions in the UK, London had the highest percentage of civil servants from the Asian (16.7%), Black (11.6%), Mixed (3.3%), Chinese (0.7%) and Other ethnic groups (1.3%) in 2018
- by comparison, at the time of the 2011 Census, 16.9% of the London population described themselves as Asian, 13.3% Black, 5.0% Mixed, 1.5% Chinese and 3.4% from the Other ethnic group
- Northern Ireland, the North East, Scotland, and Wales typically had the lowest percentage of staff from an ethnic minority background (excluding White minorities) at 0.6%, 2.4%, 2.5% and 3.1%, respectively
- in the North East, 2.4% of staff came from the Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups combined, while in 2011 Census 4.7% of the overall population in the region came from the same groups
- the regions with the highest percentage of civil servants from the Asian ethnic group were London (at 16.7%), the West Midlands (13.7%) and the East Midlands (8.6%)
- the regions with the highest percentage of civil servants from the Black ethnic group (the next most common ethnic minority group), were London (at 11.6%), the West Midlands (3.9%) and the East of England (2.3%)
6. By ethnicity and gender
| Male | Female | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Male % | Male Headcount | Female % | Female Headcount |
| All | N/A* | 198,420 | N/A* | 231,660 |
| Asian | 6.0 | 8,700 | 6.6 | 11,780 |
| Chinese | 0.3 | 390 | 0.3 | 570 |
| Black | 2.6 | 3,720 | 3.7 | 6,630 |
| Mixed | 1.5 | 2,150 | 1.6 | 2,800 |
| White | 89.1 | 128,570 | 87.2 | 154,720 |
| Other | 0.6 | 800 | 0.5 | 940 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 54,090 | N/A* | 54,220 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and gender’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and gender’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service workforce By ethnicity and gender Summary
The data shows that, where ethnicity was known:
- male staff were slightly more likely to be White than female staff, at 89.1% compared with 87.2%
- Black staff made up 3.7% of all female civil servants and 2.6% of all male civil servants, the biggest percentage point gap between male and female staff after the White ethnic group
7. By ethnicity and age group
| Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other | Unknown | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Asian % | Asian Headcount | Black % | Black Headcount | Chinese % | Chinese Headcount | Mixed % | Mixed Headcount | White % | White Headcount | Other % | Other Headcount | Unknown % | Unknown Headcount |
| Aged 16-19 | 7.7 | 60 | 1.7 | 10 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | 2.8 | 20 | 87.2 | 650 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | N/A* | 860 |
| Aged 20-29 | 10.1 | 3,140 | 2.9 | 900 | 0.5 | 150 | 3.0 | 930 | 82.9 | 25,770 | 0.6 | 180 | N/A* | 23,670 |
| Aged 30-39 | 8.6 | 5,840 | 2.8 | 1,900 | 0.4 | 280 | 2.1 | 1,410 | 85.5 | 57,710 | 0.6 | 400 | N/A* | 24,940 |
| Aged 40-49 | 6.9 | 5,790 | 3.3 | 2,800 | 0.3 | 280 | 1.5 | 1,230 | 87.4 | 73,370 | 0.5 | 450 | N/A* | 23,570 |
| Aged 50-59 | 3.9 | 4,210 | 3.7 | 4,030 | 0.2 | 190 | 1.0 | 1,120 | 90.7 | 98,680 | 0.5 | 540 | N/A* | 27,510 |
| Aged 60-64 | 4.2 | 1,010 | 2.4 | 560 | 0.2 | 40 | 0.8 | 200 | 91.9 | 21,760 | 0.5 | 130 | N/A* | 5,830 |
| Aged 65 & Over | 7.2 | 430 | 2.4 | 150 | 0.3 | 20 | 0.8 | 50 | 88.6 | 5,330 | 0.8 | 50 | N/A* | 1,540 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and age group’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and age group’ (CSV)
Summary of Civil Service workforce By ethnicity and age group Summary
The data shows that, where ethnicity was known:
- 91.9% of civil servants aged 60 to 64 years were White (the highest percentage of White staff in any age group)
- the percentage of staff who were White fell with each successively younger age group, down to 82.9% of staff aged 20 to 29 years (the lowest percentage)
- however, among staff aged 16 to 19, the percentage of staff who were White was higher than for those aged 20 to 29, at 87.2%
- the age group with the highest percentage of Asian staff was 20 to 29 years (10.1%)
- the age group with the highest percentage of Black staff was 50 to 59 years (3.7%)
8. Methodology
All Civil Service departments are asked for details of employees on their payroll on a certain date in the year (currently 31st March). They are are also asked to provide information about staff who left the Civil Service in the last 12 months. All Civil Service employees are included, so no weighting is required.
The grade categories, from senior to junior are:
- Senior Civil Service (SCS)
- grades 6 and 7
- higher and senior executive officers
- executive officers
- administrative officers and assistants
Government departments use different ways of grading staff - some use numbers, some use pay bands, and others use descriptors (for example, Senior Policy Advisor).
The concept of broad ‘responsibility levels’ is therefore used, in which departmental grades have been assigned to levels which are broadly equivalent in terms of pay and job weight.
Headcount statistics are based on the number of employees with an employment contract who are being paid as civil servants. Employees can be permanent, on a fixed-term contract or employed on a casual basis.
Suppression rules and disclosure control
Values based on fewer than 5 responses have been suppressed.
‘Suppression’ means these figures have not been included in the data, to protect confidentiality and because the numbers involved are too small to draw any reliable conclusions.
Rounding
Total staff numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
Quality and methodology information
9. Data sources
Source
Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, 2018
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Cabinet Office
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) is carried out to measure the numbers employed in the Civil Service, and to measure diversity across the workforce.
10. Download the data
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, gender, geography, age group, grade, value, number