Foreign-born as a percentage of total UK population
In 2001, 4.9 million (8.3 per cent) of the total population of the UK were born overseas. This is more than double the 2.1 million (4.2 per cent) in 1951.
The increase in absolute numbers of the foreign-born population between 1991 and 2001 was greater than in any of the preceding post-war decades. There was an increase of nearly 1.1 million over the decade to 2001 in line with the general trend of rising international migration over the same period. This is substantially more than the increase of 600,000 between 1961 and 1971, the decade with the next largest absolute increase.
Among the foreign-born residents Europe was the most common continent of birth, and the Republic of Ireland the largest single country of birth in both 1971 and 2001. However, the proportion born in Europe fell between these years, from 51 per cent to 33 per cent, and in particular those born in the Republic of Ireland fell from 24 per cent to 11 per cent.
There are large variations in the length of stay of foreign-born immigrants. Just over a third (34 per cent) of foreign-born migrants who came to the UK in the 1990s emigrated within four years of arrival. Migrants from OECD countries stayed on average for significantly shorter periods than those from non-OECD countries. In the 1990s, 50 per cent of foreign-born migrants from the OECD emigrated within four years of arrival compared with 23 per cent from non-OECD countries.
A consequence of the short length of stay of some immigrants is the youthfulness of the resident foreign-born population. This is because immigrants are typically young when they arrive. The immigration of people born in Africa and the Far East has been recent so they have a younger profile than the UK-born population. To have an older immigrant population requires both that immigrants settle and that they arrived a relatively long time ago. People from the Caribbean, because of their earlier periods of large-scale immigration to the UK, have an older population on average than the UK-born population (with ratios of 45.6 and 30.7 older people per 100 of working age respectively in 2001). The Republic of Ireland had as many as 65.9 older people per 100 of working age in the UK in 2001, reflecting immigration from the 1950s and earlier.
Foreign-born population: by ethnic group, April 2001, UK
Compared with the UK-born population, the foreign-born population has a greater mix of ethnic groups. While 92 per cent of people born in the UK identified themselves as White in 2001, 53 per cent (2.6 million) of the foreign-born population was White. The next largest ethnic groups for people born overseas were Indian (569,800) and Pakistani (336,400).
Sources: Census, April 1951, 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001, Office for National Statistics Census, April 1951, 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001, General Register Office for Scotland Census, April 1951, 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Notes: The foreign-born population is defined by birthplace and not nationality or ethnicity. It refers to all people born outside the UK.
Working age is between 16 and 59 for women and between 16 and 64 for men. State pension age is age 65 and older for men and age 60 and older for women. Old-age dependency ratios present the population above state pension age relative to the population of working age.
OECD countries are the 30 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that share commitment to democratic government and the market economy. The 30 countries include Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, USA and many of the 25 countries of the EU.
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