Constituency data: Ethnic groups, 2021 census

The 2021 census asked people about their ethnic group. The dashboard on this page shows the results for constituencies in England and Wales. The data reflects the population on Census Day, 21 March 2021.

How are ethnic groups defined in the census?

The census questionnaire included tick-boxes which were grouped under broad headings (eg ‘Asian or Asian British’), with more specific ethnic groups to select underneath (such as ‘Indian’ or ‘Pakistani’). The full list of groups is in the definitions section below.

Respondents could also write in a different ethnic group under any of the broad headings, if theirs wasn’t included in the tick-boxes.

Across England and Wales, 82% of people identified with a White ethnic group, 9% with an Asian ethnic group, 4% with a Black ethnic group, 3% with Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups, and 2% with other ethnic groups.

The figures in the dashboard are provisional estimates created by the Commons Library (see notes, below).

Go to section:

• Explore constituency data
• Top 20 constituencies by ethnic group
• Definitions, notes and sources

Explore constituency data

• Find which constituency you live in

Use the dropdown menu below to select the constituency you’re interested in and view statistics on the population by ethnic group.

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If you would like to access this information in an alternative format please email papers@parliament.uk and we will review your request.

Top 20 constituencies by ethnic group

In the dashboard below, you can select an ethnic group and see which constituencies have the largest populations identifying with those groups.

In general, constituencies with the highest proportions of White people are relatively rural areas far from urban centres. By contrast, constituencies with high proportions of all other ethnic groups are more likely to be in major cities.

There are constituencies with large Asian populations in cities including Leicester, London, Bradford and Birmingham. The constituencies with the largest Black populations, and with high proportions of people identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups or ‘other’ ethnic groups, are mostly in London.

Open a printable version
Download all data in Excel (2.0 MB)

If you would like to access this information in an alternative format please email papers@parliament.uk and we will review your request.

Definitions

The names for broad ethnic groups used in this publication are shortened versions of those used as headings on the 2021 census form. These are:

• White
• Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups
• Asian or Asian British (on the form in England) / Asian, Asian Welsh or Asian British (on the form in Wales)
• Black, Black British, Caribbean or African (on the form in England) / Black, Black Welsh, Black British, Caribbean or African (on the form in Wales)
• Other ethnic group

Notes

These figures are provisional estimates created by the Commons Library, which means they are subject to some uncertainty. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will release final figures for constituencies in 2023 and we will update this dashboard when they become available.

We have constructed these estimates by adding together ONS data for small geographical areas called Output Areas (OAs). The ONS adjusts the OA figures slightly to protect people’s privacy, so the constituency totals we’ve created aren’t completely accurate. The OAs also don’t precisely match the constituency boundaries, although they are a close approximation.

Sources

ONS, 2021 Census, Table TS021; Commons Library calculations

ONS, Census 2021 paper questionnaires

Data updates

This dashboard uses 2021 census data. The 2021 census is currently the only source of constituency-level data on this topic, which means that there aren’t any updates planned for the near future.