Who are we? · Identity · UK and nations
What is our ethnicity, and where were we born?
16.0% of UK residents were born outside the UK at the 2021 census. Compare the four nations on a common footing, or see each nation's own census categories in full.
Evidence last reviewed 31 October 2026
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The UK comparison uses tables built by ONS, NRS and NISRA to put the four nations on one date and on shared, broad groups.
Ethnic group
Census-based statistics, UK 2021 · Scotland modelled to March 2021
| Area | Asian ethnic groups | Black, Caribbean or African ethnic groups | Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups | White ethnic groups | Other ethnic groups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 8.6% | 3.7% | 2.7% | 83.1% | 2.0% |
| England | 9.6% | 4.2% | 3.0% | 81.0% | 2.2% |
| Wales | 2.9% | 0.9% | 1.6% | 93.8% | 0.9% |
| Scotland | not published in the UK tables | not published in the UK tables | not published in the UK tables | not published in the UK tables | not published in the UK tables |
| Northern Ireland | 1.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 96.6% | 0.4% |
The UK tables do not publish an ethnic group breakdown for Scotland, although the UK total includes it. See Scotland's own 2022 census.
Only five broad groups can be compared across the UK, because each nation asked a different question. Scotland's figures here are modelled to March 2021. People describe their own ethnic group; it is not inferred from where they were born.
Show the workings and sources
Totals add women and men across every published age group in the same table, and are checked against the table of total population; shares divide one group by the sum of all five groups. Each producer applied its own disclosure control before harmonisation.
Problem in the published table: UK-CENSUS-UK06 (NISRA portal copy, updated 2025-11-04): the "All persons" rows are empty, the last two age slots are empty for every category, and the age-band labels do not match the values, which follow five-year bands. Age breakdowns from this table are not used. Totals use Female + Male and reconcile with UK01.
Problem in the published table: UK-CENSUS-UK06 publishes no figures for Scotland; its rows are empty. The UK total still includes them.
- Census-based statistics, UK 2021: ethnic group — UK06. ONS, NRS and NISRA (NISRA Data Portal). Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Crown copyright (NISRA), Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Census-based statistics, UK 2021: single year of age and sex — UK01. ONS, NRS and NISRA (NISRA Data Portal). Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Crown copyright (NISRA), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Born outside the UK
Census-based statistics, UK 2021 · Scotland modelled to March 2021
- United Kingdom16.0%
- England17.4%
- Wales6.9%
- Scotland9.9%
- Northern Ireland8.7%
Country of birth is not nationality or immigration status: someone born abroad may be a British citizen, and someone born in the UK may not be.
| Country of birth | United Kingdom | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe: United Kingdom: England | 46,621,333 | 45,388,714 | 659,083 | 500,589 | 72,938 |
| Europe: United Kingdom: Northern Ireland | 1,881,726 | 190,537 | 7,799 | 37,105 | 1,646,277 |
| Europe: United Kingdom: Scotland | 4,982,852 | 626,447 | 21,975 | 4,317,912 | 16,520 |
| Europe: United Kingdom: Wales | 2,702,408 | 478,698 | 2,202,821 | 18,093 | 2,794 |
| Europe: Ireland | 387,127 | 314,672 | 10,003 | 22,098 | 40,356 |
| Europe: Other europe (including Great Britain and United Kingdom not otherwise specified) | 4,119,279 | 3,730,959 | 90,524 | 226,657 | 71,137 |
| Africa | 1,667,310 | 1,558,203 | 28,763 | 69,599 | 10,757 |
| Middle East and Asia | 3,498,075 | 3,241,699 | 69,328 | 157,806 | 29,246 |
| The Americas and Caribbean | 860,563 | 789,992 | 12,632 | 47,860 | 10,067 |
| Antarctica, Oceania (including Australasia) and Other | 191,939 | 170,107 | 4,572 | 14,184 | 3,079 |
Show the workings and sources
Problem in the published table: UK-CENSUS-UK05 (NISRA portal copy, updated 2025-11-04): the "All persons" rows are empty, the last two age slots are empty for every category, and the age-band labels do not match the values, which follow five-year bands. Age breakdowns from this table are not used. Totals use Female + Male and reconcile with UK01.
- Census-based statistics, UK 2021: country of birth — UK05. ONS, NRS and NISRA (NISRA Data Portal). Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Crown copyright (NISRA), Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Census-based statistics, UK 2021: single year of age and sex — UK01. ONS, NRS and NISRA (NISRA Data Portal). Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Crown copyright (NISRA), Open Government Licence v3.0.
What is not shown
Ethnicity by country of birth for council areas
The ONS service withholds this combination for most council areas to protect confidentiality (281 of 331 areas when we checked on 31 October 2026).
Up-to-date country of birth figures
ONS stopped publishing its annual country-of-birth and nationality estimates in 2021, so these pages use the census.
Built from official tables and checked by automated tests; it has not yet had independent analytical review. About these numbers.