Changes in ethnic diversity
There have been large changes in the ethnic composition of the UK in the last 10 years.
The key change is a decline in the number of people describing themselves as 'White British' from 91.3% to 79.8%. The main increases is 'Other White' from 0.4 to 5.7%, 'Mixed' from 1.4% to 2.3%, 'Asian' from 4.4% to 7.9% and 鈥楤lack鈥 from 2.2 to 3.9%. This is a result of several factors:
- Increased migration - the biggest change to the ethnic composition of the UK is the increase in 'Other White'. This is caused by the migration of many young adults from 10 Eastern European countries such as Poland which joined the EU in 2004 and therefore permitted to live and work in the UK. A reason for other ethnic groups such as 'Asian' and 'Black' increasing is the continued migration from ex-colonial countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
- Differences in birth rates - the key factor for the increase in 'Asian' and 'Black' groups is the higher birth rates associated with these communities in comparison to 'White British'. This could be for cultural and religious reasons.
- Development of a multicultural society - the increase in the number of mixed race people is due to the development of a multicultural society where the people of the UK are now made up of different cultures and races as opposed to predominantly one culture and race.