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Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)

Ethnicity category


Ethnicity category

FieldValue
groupMixed
imageFile:Counties of the UK Mixed.svg
image_captionDistribution by local authority in the 2011 census
populationUnited Kingdom United Kingdom: 1,793,257 – 2.7% (2021/22 Census)
England: 1,669,378 – 3.0% (2021)
Wales: 48,598 – 1.6% (2021)
: 60,899 – 1.1% (2022)<ref name"2022census_Scot" Alternative URL 'Search data by location' 'All of Scotland' 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' 'Ethnic Group'
Northern Ireland: 14,382 – 0.8% (2021)
popplace
relsPredominantly Irreligious (43.6%) or Christianity (36.7%); minority follows Islam (8.4%) and other faiths (3.0%)
2021 census, NI, England and Wales only

England: 1,669,378 – 3.0% (2021) Wales: 48,598 – 1.6% (2021)

England and Wales by Mixed Ethnicities (2021) {{Collapsible list |

  • White and Black Caribbean: 513,040
  • White and Asian: 488,228
  • Other Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Groups: 467,116
  • White and Black African: 249,593}} Scotland: 60,899 – 1.1% (2022) Northern Ireland: 14,382 – 0.8% (2021) 2021 census, NI, England and Wales only

Mixed is an ethnic group category that was first introduced by the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics for the 2001 Census. Colloquially, it refers to British citizens or residents whose parents are of two or more races or ethnic backgrounds. The Mixed or Multiple ethnic group numbered just under 1.8 million in the 2021 United Kingdom census or 2.7% of the total UK population.

Statistics

A number of academics have pointed out that the ethnicity classification employed in the census and other official statistics in the UK since 1991 involve confusion between the concepts of ethnicity and race. Aspinall notes that sustained academic attention has been focused on "how the censuses measure ethnicity, especially the use of dimensions that many claim have little to do with ethnicity, such as skin colour, race, and nationality".

The year 2001 was the first census which asked about mixed race identity. In that census, 677,177 classified themselves as of mixed ethnicity, making up 1.2 percent of the country's population. The 2011 Census gave the figure as 2.2% for England and Wales.

Office for National Statistics estimates suggest that 956,700 mixed-ethnicity people were resident in England (as opposed to the whole of the country) as of mid-2009, compared to 654,000 at mid-2001. As of May 2011, this figure surpassed 1 million. It was estimated in 2007 that, by 2020, 1.24 million people in the UK would be of mixed race. Research conducted by the BBC, however, suggests that the mixed race population could already be twice the official estimate figure - up to 2 million. According to The Economist in October 2020, the 2011 census figure "is probably an undercount, since not all children of mixed marriages will have ticked one of the mixed categories, and the number is likely to have grown since the census".

3.5 percent of all births in England and Wales in 2005 were mixed-ethnicity babies, with 0.9 percent being 'Mixed White and Black Caribbean', 0.5 percent 'Mixed White and Black African', 0.8 percent 'Mixed White and Asian', and 1.3 percent any other mixed background.

Population

Region / Country202120112001Number%Number%Number%United Kingdom1,793,2572.68%1,250,4141.98%677,1171.15%
England1,669,3782.96%1,192,8792.25%643,3731.31%
—Greater London505,7755.75%405,2794.96%226,1113.15%
—South East260,8712.81%167,7641.94%85,7791.07%
—East of England179,6542.84%112,1161.92%57,9841.08%
—West Midlands178,2242.99%131,7142.35%73,2251.39%
—North West163,2452.20%110,8911.57%62,5390.93%
—East Midlands117,2472.40%86,2241.90%43,1411.03%
—Yorkshire and the Humber117,0172.14%84,5581.60%44,9950.91%
—South West114,0742.00%71,8841.36%37,3710.76%
—North East33,2711.26%22,4490.86%12,2280.49%
Scotland60,8991.12%19,8150.37%12,7640.25%
Wales48,5981.56%31,5211.03%17,6610.61%
Northern Ireland14,3820.76%6,0140.33%3,3190.20%
Distribution of Mixed British people by local authority, 2021 census
Mixed/British Mixed as a total population pyramid in 2021 (in England and Wales)

The 2021 United Kingdom census recorded a population of 1,793,257 or 2.7% of the population in the United Kingdom. When broken down by country, England recorded 1,669,378 (3.0%), Wales recorded 48,598 (1.6%)

Upper tier local authorityPopulationPercentage
Birmingham55,2054.8%
Hertfordshire45,1263.8%
Surrey40,4833.4%
Essex36,7742.4%
Kent36,7662.3%
Croydon, London29,7457.6%
Manchester29,0265.3%
Leeds27,3883.4%
Hampshire26,1981.9%
Lambeth, London25,6308.1%
Lewisham, London24,2538.1%
Oxfordshire22,6113.1%
Southwark, London22,1517.2%
Bristol21,1164.5%
Barnet, London20,8895.4%

Subgroups

In England and Wales, the 2001 census included four sub-categories of mixed ethnic combinations: "Mixed White and Black Caribbean", "Mixed White and Black African", "Mixed White and Asian" and "Any other Mixed background", with the latter allowing people to write in their ethnicity. Analysis of census results shows that, in England and Wales only, 237,000 people stated their ethnicity as Mixed White and Black Caribbean, 189,000 as Mixed White and Asian, 156,000 as Other Mixed, and 79,000 Mixed White and Black African.

The estimates for mid-2009 for England only suggest that there are 301,300 people in the Mixed White and Black Caribbean category, 127,500 Mixed White and Black African, 292,400 Mixed White and Asian, and 235,500 Other Mixed. The White and Black African group grew fastest in percentage terms from 2001 to 2009, followed by White and Asian, Other Mixed and then White and Black Caribbean.

The 2011 Census for England and Wales suggested that compared with 2001, the proportion of the population describing themselves as "Mixed White and Black Caribbean" rose from 0.5% to 0.8%, "Mixed White and Asian" from 0.4% to 0.6%, "Mixed White and Black African" from 0.2% to 0.3% and "Other Mixed" 0.3% to 0.5%.

The census forms in Scotland and Northern Ireland did not include sub-groups, but rather single categories: "Any Mixed Background" in Scotland and simply "Mixed" in Northern Ireland. File:Mixed White and Black Caribbean population pyramid 2021.svg|Mixed White and Black Caribbean File:Mixed White and Black African population pyramid 2021.svg|Mixed White and Black African File:Mixed White and Asian population pyramid 2021.svg|Mixed White and Asian File:Mixed Other population pyramid 2021.svg|Mixed Other

Detailed breakdown

Ethnic group within the Mixed group (in England and Wales)2021Population% of total pop% of group makeup
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and Black Caribbean513,0420.929.9%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and Asian (unspecified)488,2250.828.4%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and Black African249,5960.414.5%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Other Mixed107,9570.26.3%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Any other ethnic group54,9860.13.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Hispanic or Latin American28,0640.01.6%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: European Mixed, European unspecified, other European26,5720.01.5%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Black and White (unspecified)18,1640.01.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and Arab16,3590.01.0%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Black and Asian14,3550.00.8%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and North African or Middle Eastern12,9040.00.8%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British11,8800.00.7%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Other White, White unspecified11,0920.00.6%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Arab7,7770.00.5%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Chinese and White7,6420.00.4%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Caribbean7,5790.00.4%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Caribbean Asian7,5160.00.4%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Brazilian6,5690.00.4%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Mixed White6,3890.00.4%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: South American5,9890.00.3%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Mauritian/Seychellois/Maldivian/Sao Tomean/St Helenian5,7410.00.3%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Iranian5,3640.00.3%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Turkish5,1490.00.3%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Mixed Black4,9950.00.3%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Polynesian/Micronesian/Melanesian4,9000.00.3%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Mixed Irish4,4320.00.3%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: African Asian4,0710.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: African unspecified3,9250.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and South Asian3,8860.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: English3,8030.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Other Middle East3,6470.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Indian or British Indian3,5150.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: European and Black African3,4500.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and East Asian3,1110.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White Caribbean3,0770.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: European and North African or Middle Eastern3,0030.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: South Asian and European2,9650.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Chinese2,8710.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Other Asian, Asian unspecified2,8490.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Asian (unspecified) and European2,8050.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Mexican2,6550.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Jewish2,5950.00.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Portuguese2,5080.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Anglo Indian2,4730.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: European and Black Caribbean2,2660.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Italian2,2480.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Black and European2,1850.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Black British2,0500.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White African2,0170.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Mixed South Asian1,9990.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Turkish Cypriot1,9850.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Greek Cypriot1,9680.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: African/Arab1,9240.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Chinese and other Asian1,9070.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Moroccan1,8790.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Spanish1,7930.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Pakistani or British Pakistani1,6910.00.1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: South African1,6200.00.1%

References

References

  1. "Ethnic group, England and Wales: Census 2021". Office for National Statistics.
  2. . (21 May 2024). ["Scotland's Census 2022 - Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion - Chart data"](https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/media/trbdxzme/scotland-s-census-2022-ethnic-group-national-identity-language-and-religion-chart-data.xlsx). *[[National Records of Scotland]]*.
  3. (22 September 2022). "MS-B01: Ethnic group". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
  4. {{cite United Kingdom census. link. (2021). Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
  5. "RM031 Ethnic group by religion". Office for National Statistics.
  6. (29 November 2022). "Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 29 November 2022, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Ethnic group, England and Wales: Census 2021".
  7. Ballard, Roger. (1996). "Negotiating race and ethnicity: Exploring the implications of the 1991 census". Patterns of Prejudice.
  8. (2002). "Census and Identity: The Politics of Race, Ethnicity, and Language in National Censuses". Cambridge University Press.
  9. Aspinall, Peter J. (2012). "Answer Formats in British Census and Survey Ethnicity Questions: Does Open Response Better Capture 'Superdiversity'?". Sociology.
  10. (13 February 2003). "Population size: 7.9% from a minority ethnic group". Office for National Statistics.
  11. (22 December 2022). ""Ethnicity Facts and Figures UK Government"".
  12. "Resident Population Estimates by Ethnic Group, All Persons June 2009". Office for National Statistics.
  13. Rogers, Simon. (19 May 2011). "Non-white British population reaches 9.1 million". The Guardian.
  14. Smith, Laura. (23 January 2007). "Mixed messages". The Guardian.
  15. (6 October 2011). "Mixed race UK population double official figure, says new report". BBC News.
  16. (3 October 2020). "Britain's mixed-race population blurs the lines of identity politics". The Economist.
  17. Moser, Kath. (2008). "Birthweight and gestational age by ethnic group, England and Wales 2005: Introducing new data on births". Health Statistics Quarterly.
  18. (29 November 2022). "Ethnic group - England and Wales regions". Office for National Statistics.
  19. "QS201EW: Ethnic Group". Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics.
  20. {{cite United Kingdom census. link. National Records of Scotland. (2011)
  21. "Ethnic Group - Full Detail: QS201NI".
  22. "KS006: Ethnic group". Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics.
  23. "Analysis of Ethnicity in the 2001 Census - Summary Report".
  24. "Ethnic Group: KS06 (statistical geographies)".
  25. "Ethnic group - Office for National Statistics".
  26. "Ethnic group and year of arrival in the uk - Office for National Statistics".
  27. "TS021 - Ethnic group". Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics.
  28. . (21 May 2024). ["Scotland's Census 2022 - Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion - Chart data"](https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/media/trbdxzme/scotland-s-census-2022-ethnic-group-national-identity-language-and-religion-chart-data.xlsx). *[[National Records of Scotland]]*.
  29. Bradford, Ben. (May 2006). "Who are the 'Mixed' ethnic group?". Office for National Statistics.
  30. [http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_290558.pdf Ethnicity and National Identity in England and Wales 2011], Office for National Statistics, 11 December 2012
  31. (April 2008). "Harmonised Concepts and Questions for Social Data Sources: Primary Standards – Ethnic Group". Office for National Statistics.
  32. "Ethnic group (detailed) - Office for National Statistics".
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