Ethnic Diversity in Britain

England is the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total population of the United Kingdom. People from minority ethnic groups were more likely to live in England than in the rest of the United Kingdom. They made up 9 per cent of the population of England in 2001 compared with 2 per cent of the population of both Wales and Scotland and 1 per cent of the population of Northern Ireland. Nearly half (45 per cent) of the total minority ethnic population live in London. [8 p. 25]

1.5.1 East of England

Overall, in terms of its ethnic diversity, the East of England region falls slightly below the average for the country as a whole.

Out of every 1,000 people, on average: 914 are White British; 37 are White non-British; 23 are Asian; 11 are of mixed race; 9 are Black; 4 are Chinese.

In 2001, 6.1% of people living in the East Midlands were born abroad, up from 5.1% in 1991. Only one ethnic group - White British, at 91% - is represented here at a proportion greater than the national average, and its share of Asian residents is among the lowest of the nine English regions.

According to the 2001 census, the East of England is home to 5.4 million people, ranking it fourth on the list of England's most populous regions.

Geographically speaking, it is the second largest English region, covering an area of 19,120 square kilometers. It has a population density of 282 people per square kilometer. The whole population: 5,388,140. [5]

Table 1.5 Ethnic groups in East of England

Asians are not, however, the largest ethnic minority group in the region. That distinction goes to the White Other group, which, at 136,000 people, accounts for 2.5% of the population of the East of England. There are three significant reasons for this. The first is the large number of US - and German-born military personnel serving in the area - nearly 65,000 American and German citizens lived in the area at the time of the 2001 census, the vast majority of whom would have described themselves as being of White Other ethnic origin. Second, the region attracts a large number of overseas students, as it contains some of Britain's largest universities, including Cambridge, where people from the White Other group make up nearly 10% of all residents. Third, this region has been one of the leading destinations for non-EU [6]

1.5.2 East Midlands

Nine percent of people living in the East Midlands region at the time of the 2001 Census were from ethnic minority backgrounds. Of the eight other English regions, only London and the West Midlands had a higher proportion of non-White British residents. [5]

Table 1.6 Ethnic groups in East Midlands

Leicester is widely predicted, within the next five years, to become the first city in Europe with a majority non-white population. Only 60.5% of its residents ticked the 'White British' box on the 2001 census form.

Asian people form by far the largest ethnic minority group in the East Midlands. Their numbers are roughly equal to the combined total of all other minority groups in the region.

This is largely due to the 'Leicester effect' - this city alone accounts for half of all Asians living in the region, including 60% of all people of Indian origin. Not all Asian sub-groups are as well represented though - there are proportionally fewer Bangladeshis (less than 0.2% of the population) living here than in all but one of the other eight English regions.

People from the White Other category make up the second largest ethnic minority group in the East Midlands, numbering 57,000, or 1.4% of the population. This is about average for the nine English regions.

Although black people make up less than 1% of the region's population, this is nonetheless one of the highest proportions outside London; only the neighboring West Midlands region has a greater percentage of black residents within its population outside the capital. Of the nearly 40,000 black people living here, more than 60% are of Caribbean descent. [6]

1.5.3 West Midlands

The West Midlands is by far the most ethnically diverse English region outside London, according to the 2001 census data. Nearly one in seven of its population (13.9%) are from ethnic groups other than White British.

Out of every 1,000 people, on average: 861 are White British; 73 are Asian; 26 are White non-British; 20 are Black; 14 are of mixed race; 3 are Chinese.

In 2001, 6.5% of people living in the West Midlands were born abroad, up from 5.3% in 1991.

Nearly 5.3 million people lived in the region at the time of the last census. It covers a geographical area of 13,004 square kilometers, and has a population density of 405 people per square kilometers.

The West Midlands is the only English region, apart from London, where the proportion of residents from the White British group falls below the national average of 87%. Birmingham, England's second largest city and the main population centre in the West Midlands, is second only to the capital in terms of its ethnic diversity. With nearly 200,000 Asian and 60,000 black residents, Birmingham is home to more people from these groups than most entire regions of England (excluding London, only the Yorkshire and The Humber region has more Asian residents, and none has more black residents).The whole population: 5,267,308. [5]

Table 1.7 Ethnic groups in West Midlands

There are nearly 400,000 people of south Asian origin living in the West Midlands (7.3% of all residents). The region is home to one in six of all Asians in Britain. Aside from Birmingham, where 20% of the population is Asian, there are also very large Asian communities in Wolver Hampton, where people from this group form 14% of the local population, and in Coventry (11%). There are more Pakistanis living in the West Midlands - 155,000 - than in any other English region, London included.

Almost a third of all Sikhs in Britain live in the West Midlands; nearly 14,000 live in Coventry alone, where they form nearly 5% of the city's population.

Across the entire region, the population is split fairly evenly between Indians and Pakistanis; at town and city level, though, the tendency is for one group to predominate over the other. In Birmingham, for example, the ratio of Pakistanis to Indians is two to one, while in Wolver Hampton there are ten times as many Indians as Pakistanis.

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