According to the 2021 Census, there were 30.4 million (51.0%) women and girls and 29.2 million (49.0%) men and boys in England and Wales.

Ethnicity pay gap estimates for 2018 across different ethnicity breakdowns using the Annual Population Survey.

According to the 2021 Census, 81.7% of the population of England and Wales was white, 9.3% Asian, 4.0% black, 2.9% mixed and 2.1% from other ethnic groups.

In 2011, 87.2 percent of the total population of the United Kingdom were white British. A positive net migration in recent years combined with the resultant international relationships following the wide-reaching former British Empire has contributed to an increasingly diverse population.

Varied ethnic backgrounds

Black British citizens, with African and/or African-Caribbean ancestry, are the largest ethnic minority population, at three percent of the total population. Indian Britons are one of the largest overseas communities of the Indian diaspora and make up 2.3 percent of the total UK population. Pakistani British citizens, who make up almost two percent of the UK population, have one of the highest levels of home ownership in Britain.

Racism in the United Kingdom

Though it has decreased in comparison to the previous century, the UK has seen an increase in racial prejudice during the first decade and a half of this century. Racism and discrimination continues to be part of daily life for Britain’s ethnic minorities, especially in terms of work, housing, and health issues. Moreover, the number of hate crimes motivated by race reported since 2012 has increased, and in 2017/18, there were 3,368 recorded offenses of racially or religiously aggravated assault with injury, almost a thousand more than in 2013/14.

Black men and women in the United Kingdom were four times more likely to die from Coronavirus than white people of the same gender as of April 2020. Several other ethnic groups were also at an increased risk from Coronavirus than the white population, with men of Bangladeshi or Pakistani origin 3.6 times more likely, and women 3.4 more likely to die from Coronavirus.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

Dataset population: Persons

Age

Age is derived from the date of birth question and is a person's age at their last birthday, at 27 March 2011. Dates of birth that imply an age over 115 are treated as invalid and the person's age is imputed. Infants less than one year old are classified as 0 years of age.

Ethnic group

Ethnic group classifies people according to their own perceived ethnic group and cultural background.

This topic contains ethnic group write-in responses without reference to the five broad ethnic group categories, e.g. all Irish people, irrespective of whether they are White, Mixed/multiple ethnic groups, Asian/Asian British, Black/African/Caribbean/Black British or Other ethnic group, are in the 'Irish' response category. This topic was created as part of the commissioned table processing.

General health

General health is a self-assessment of a person's general state of health. People were asked to assess whether their health was very good, good, fair, bad or very bad.

For England and Wales, this assessment is not based on a person's health over any specified period of time.

For Northern Ireland, 'General health' refers to a person's health over the 12 months prior to Census day (27 March 2011).

Sex

The classification of a person as either male or female.

According to the 2021 Census, London was the most ethnically diverse region in England and Wales – 63.2% of residents identified with an ethnic minority group.

This dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by ethnic group, by sex, and by age. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.

Estimates for single year of age between ages 90 and 100+ are less reliable than other ages. Estimation and adjustment at these ages was based on the age range 90+ rather than five-year age bands. Read more about this quality notice.

Area type

Census 2021 statistics are published for a number of different geographies. These can be large, for example the whole of England, or small, for example an output area (OA), the lowest level of geography for which statistics are produced.

For higher levels of geography, more detailed statistics can be produced. When a lower level of geography is used, such as output areas (which have a minimum of 100 persons), the statistics produced have less detail. This is to protect the confidentiality of people and ensure that individuals or their characteristics cannot be identified.

Lower tier local authorities

Lower tier local authorities provide a range of local services. There are 309 lower tier local authorities in England made up of 181 non-metropolitan districts, 59 unitary authorities, 36 metropolitan districts and 33 London boroughs (including City of London). In Wales there are 22 local authorities made up of 22 unitary authorities.

Coverage

Census 2021 statistics are published for the whole of England and Wales. However, you can choose to filter areas by:

• country - for example, Wales
• region - for example, London
• local authority - for example, Cornwall
• health area – for example, Clinical Commissioning Group
• statistical area - for example, MSOA or LSOA

Ethnic group

The ethnic group that the person completing the census feels they belong to. This could be based on their culture, family background, identity or physical appearance.

Respondents could choose one out of 19 tick-box response categories, including write-in response options.

Sex

This is the sex recorded by the person completing the census. The options were “Female” and “Male”.

Age (C)

A person’s age on Census Day, 21 March 2021 in England and Wales. Infants aged under 1 year are classified as 0 years of age.

The median hourly pay and percentage difference in 2019 between hourly earnings with white British employees was greater between men than between women. White Irish male employees earned a median of ***** pounds per hour, while Bangladeshi male employees earned a median of ***** pounds per hour. In comparison, white Irish female employees earned a median of ***** pounds per hour, while Bangladeshi female employees earned a median of ***** pounds per hour. The highest median hourly pay was seen for Chinese male employees, at ***** pounds per hour. Chinese female employees also earned a high hourly pay, at ***** pounds per hour. Female white and black Caribbean female employees experienced the lowest median hourly pay in 2019, at just **** pounds per hour.

Sonraí a thaispeánann céatadán na ndaoine i Sasana agus sa Bhreatain Bheag ar fir agus mná iad (agus buachaillí agus cailíní).
Taispeántar sonraí maidir le gach ceann de na 18 grúpa eitneach a úsáideadh i nDaonáireamh 2011.

Is as Daonáireamh 2011 a thagann na sonraí agus foilsítear iad ar ‘Fhíricí agus ar fhigiúirí Eitneachais’.

Students from the Chinese ethnic group had the highest entry rate into higher education in every year from 2006 to 2024.

According to a study conducted in 2023, **** percent of incels (involuntary celibates) in the United States were white, and in the United Kingdom, **** percent of incels were white. Overall, an average of **** percent of men belonging to the incel community were Black, and *** percent were mixed race.

Dataset population: Persons

Age

Age is derived from the date of birth question and is a person's age at their last birthday, at 27 March 2011. Dates of birth that imply an age over 115 are treated as invalid and the person's age is imputed. Infants less than one year old are classified as 0 years of age.

Ethnic group

Ethnic group classifies people according to their own perceived ethnic group and cultural background.

This topic contains ethnic group write-in responses without reference to the five broad ethnic group categories, e.g. all Irish people, irrespective of whether they are White, Mixed/multiple ethnic groups, Asian/Asian British, Black/African/Caribbean/Black British or Other ethnic group, are in the Irish response category. This topic was created as part of the commissioned table processing.

Long-term health problem or disability

A long-term health problem or disability that limits a person's day-to-day activities and has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months. This includes problems that are related to old age.

People were asked to assess whether their daily activities were limited a lot or a little by such a health problem, or whether their daily activities were not limited at all.

Sex

The classification of a person as either male or female.

Dataset population: Dependent children

Ethnic group

Ethnic group classifies people according to their own perceived ethnic group and cultural background.

This topic contains ethnic group write-in responses without reference to the five broad ethnic group categories, e.g. all Irish people, irrespective of whether they are White, Mixed/multiple ethnic groups, Asian/Asian British, Black/African/Caribbean/Black British or Other ethnic group, are in the Irish response category. This topic was created as part of the commissioned table processing.

Sex

The classification of a person as either male or female.

To establish whether ethnic inequalities exist in levels of self-reported hearing difficulty and hearing aid use among middle-aged adults. Cross-sectional data from the UK Biobank resource. 164,460 participants aged 40–69 who answered hearing questions at an assessment centre in England or Wales. After taking into account objectively assessed hearing performance and a corresponding correction for bias in non-native English speakers, as well as a range of correlates including demographic, socioeconomic, and health factors, there were lower levels of hearing aid use for people from Black African (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.17–0.77), Black Caribbean (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.22–0.65) and Indian (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.41–0.86) ethnic groups, compared to the White British or Irish group. Men from most ethnic minority groups and women from Black African, Black Caribbean and Indian groups were less likely to report hearing difficulty than their White British or Irish counterparts. For equivalent levels of hearing loss, the use of hearing aids is lower among ethnic minority groups. Inequalities are partly due to lower levels of self-reported hearing difficulty among minority groups. However, even when self-reported hearing difficulty is considered, hearing aid use remains lower among many ethnic minority groups.

In 2023/24 the stop and search rate for Black people in England and Wales was 22.4 searches per 1,000 people, compared with the stop and search rate for white people of six per one thousand people. People in the categories of 'other', mixed and Asian ethnic backgrounds also had a higher stop and search rate than that of the white population.

BackgroundA significantly higher proportion of UK Black ethnic adults live with overweight or obesity, compared to their White British counterparts. The role of obesity in excess infection rates and mortality from COVID-19 has increased the need to understand if weight management interventions are appropriate and effective for Black ethnic groups. There is a paucity of existing research on weight management services in Black populations, and whether anticipated or experienced institutional and interpersonal racism in the healthcare and more widely affects engagement in these services. Understanding the lived experience of target populations and views of service providers delivering programmes is essential for timely service improvement.MethodsA qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted in June–October 2021 among 18 Black African and Black Caribbean men and women interested in losing weight and 10 weight management service providers.ResultsThe results highlighted a positive view of life in the United Kingdom (UK), whether born in the UK or born abroad, but one which was marred by racism. Weight gain was attributed by participants to unhealthy behaviours and the environment, with improving appearance and preventing ill health key motivators for weight loss. Participants relied on self-help to address their overweight, with the role of primary care in weight management contested as a source of support. Anticipated or previously experienced racism in the health care system and more widely, accounted for some of the lack of engagement with services. Participants and service providers agreed on the lack of relevance of existing services to Black populations, including limited culturally tailored resources. Community based, ethnically matched, and flexibly delivered weight management services were suggested as ideal, and could form the basis of a set of recommendations for research and practice.ConclusionCultural tailoring of existing services and new programmes, and cultural competency training are needed. These actions are required within systemic changes, such as interventions to address discrimination. Our qualitative insights form the basis for advancing further work and research to improve existing services to address the weight-related inequality faced by UK Black ethnic groups.

Median pay and raw ethnicity pay gap estimates for 2012 to 2022 across different ethnicity breakdowns using the Annual Population Survey, UK.

National and subnational mid-year population estimates for the UK and its constituent countries by administrative area, age and sex (including components of population change, median age and population density).