Average household size: by ethnic group of household reference person, April 2001, GB
Household size
Asian households are larger than households of any other ethnic group. Households headed by a Bangladeshi person were the largest of all with an average size of 4.5 people in April 2001, followed by Pakistani households (4.1 people) and Indian households (3.3 people).
The smallest households were found among the White Irish (average size 2.1 people). Black Caribbean and White British households were the next smallest, both with an average size of 2.3 people. All these groups have an older age structure than other ethnic groups, and contain a higher proportion of one-person households. Thirty-eight per cent of Black Caribbean households, 37 per cent of White Irish households and 31 per cent of White British households contained only one person. Only 9 per cent of Bangladeshi households contained just one person.
Households with dependent children as a proportion of all households: by ethnic group of household reference person, April 2001, GB
Types of household
Three quarters (74 per cent) of Bangladeshi households contained at least one dependent child. This was the highest proportion for any ethnic group and was nearly three times that of White British households (28 per cent). Households headed by a Pakistani or Indian person were also more likely than non-Asian households to contain at least one dependent child - 66 per cent of Pakistani and 50 per cent of Indian households did so.
Asians are least likely to live in lone parent households. Among households with dependent children, only 10 per cent of Indian households and 13 per cent of both Pakistani and Bangladeshi households contained a lone parent. In contrast, around half of Black Caribbean (48 per cent) and Other Black (52 per cent) households with dependent children were headed by a lone parent. The percentage for the White British group was 22 per cent.
The highest proportions of married couples under pension age, with or without children, were found in Asian households. Over half of Bangladeshi (54 per cent), Indian (53 per cent) and Pakistani (51 per cent) households contained a married couple, compared with 37 per cent of those headed by a White British person. Just one fifth (19 per cent) of Black Caribbean households contained a married couple, which was the lowest proportion of any ethnic group. Asian households were also the least likely to contain a cohabiting couple.
The proportion of pensioner households ranged from 2 per cent of Bangladeshi households to 27 per cent of White Irish households. Among the non-White ethnic groups, Black Caribbeans were most likely to live in households which only contained pensioners (13 per cent).
Households containing more than one family with dependent children are most likely to be headed by people from Asian ethnic groups. These types of households made up 2 per cent of all households in Great Britain whereas among the Bangladeshi community they made up 17 per cent of households.
Sources: Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics; Census, April 2001, General Register Office for Scotland
Notes:
Household Reference Person was introduced in 2001 and replaces Head of Household. The Household Reference Person is used to assign the ethnic group of the household. It does not follow that everyone in the household will be of the same ethnic group as the Household Reference Person.
A dependent child is a person aged 0 to 15 in a household or aged 16 to 18 in full-time education and living with his or her parents.
Married couple and lone parent households contain at least one person below pensionable age.
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