Leicester has become the first city in the UK to have a majority non-white population, according to the latest census data.
The numbers from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show 41 per cent of the population of Leicester described themselves as white, the lowest proportion of any British city.
This statistic is 10 per cent lower since the last census, in 2011.
The largest ethnic group in the city now comprises people from an Asian background, with a rise of 6.4 per cent since 2011, to 43.4 per cent.
There are almost 160,000 ethnically Asian residents in Leicester compared to 122,000 in 2011. The number of White residents is around 151,000 which is a decrease from 167,000 in 2011.
Commenting on the figures, which were released yesterday (Tuesday, November 29), Claudia Webb, MP for Leicester East, said that the stats were something to be celebrated.
“The ethnic, language and religious diversity of Leicester is our strength and something to be celebrated. We are the city where our minorities make up the majority. That is what makes Leicester so special, and we are richer for our vibrant exchange of cultures,” she said.
Sir Peter Soulsby, Leicester City Mayor also welcomed the news, saying that we’re “very lucky” to have so many different communities in Leicester.
“These communities enrich every aspect of our lives. Leicester is a richly diverse city, and I particularly enjoy the way we celebrate that diversity,” he said.
“The cultural life of our city benefits enormously from the festivals and events that people from all backgrounds join together to celebrate. But you can also see the influence of this diversity in the city’s educational, social, and political life, and in the economy. We have a broad-based economy and people come here to set up businesses and learn new skills, bringing in wealth and jobs.
“People are welcome to make a positive future here for themselves and their families, and to engage in the life of the city, because it’s important that people feel like they belong,” he added.
“It’s also interesting to see how communities are changing in the wider county. Leicester has tightly defined boundaries and beyond this there have been some dramatic changes in neighbouring areas such as Oadby and Wigston, where new communities have also made homes there and enriched the area.”
Across England and Wales as a whole, white people remain the majority group, at 81.7 per cent, down from 86 per cent in 2021. Some 48.7 million people identified as white in the 2021 census, compared to 48.2 million in 2011.
