Indians comprised highest number of non-UK born residents of England and Wales, shows census data
The next two most common countries of birth were Poland (about 7.43 lakh residents) and Pakistan (about 6.24 lakh residents).
Indians constituted the highest number of England and Wales residents who were born outside the United Kingdom in 2021, the country’s census data released last week showed.
The Office for National Statistics said that India-born persons comprised 1.5% (9.2 lakh) of all residents in England and Wales.
The next two most common countries of birth were Poland (about 7.43 lakh residents, or about 1.2%) and Pakistan (about 6.24 lakh residents, or about 1%).
“One in six, or 10 million [16.8%], usual residents of England and Wales were born outside the UK on Census Day, 21 March 2021, an increase from 7.5 million [13.4%] in 2011,” the Office for National Statistics said in a press release on November 2.
10 million usual residents of England and Wales (16.8% of the population) were born outside the UK on 21 March 2021.
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) November 2, 2022
This is an increase of 2.5 million since 2011, when 7.5 million (13.4%) were born outside the UK.
➡️ https://t.co/92NdRku9TL pic.twitter.com/1aUndXomUU
The top three countries of birth outside the United Kingdom have remained unchanged from 2011. In that year, about 6.94 lakh were from India, 5.79 lakh were from Poland and 4.82 lakh were from Pakistan.
The census data also showed that the three most common non-United Kingdom passports held by residents were those of Poland (about 7.60 lakh), Romania (5.50 lakh) and India (3.69 lakh).
Meanwhile, the United States and Jamaica fell out of the top 10 countries of birth outside the United Kingdom.
Census Deputy Director Jon Wroth-Smith said that migration in the year before the census was lower in 2021 than it was in 2011. “This is likely, in large part, due to the various travel restrictions in place during the coronavirus pandemic,” he said.
