Based on 2021 Census data, Leicester has the lowest percentage of people identifying as white in the UK, at approximately 41%. It was one of the first UK cities to have no single ethnic group in the majority, with a high proportion of Asian, Black, and Mixed ethnic backgrounds.
The city with the lowest percentage of white residents in the UK is Leicester, where white people are no longer the majority, with about 41% identifying as white according to 2021 census data, making it one of the most ethnically diverse cities alongside places like Birmingham, Luton, and London boroughs such as Newham and Brent.
Brent, Newham and Tower Hamlets have the highest percentage of non-White British residents and the highest proportion of households with multiple ethnic groups.
Almost 96 per cent of Black Britons live in England, particularly in England's larger urban areas, with close to 1.2 million living in Greater London. 47.8% of the total Black British population live in London.
Asking the least white place in Britain about immigration | Extreme Britain
Which part of England is the whitest?
Cities across the UK regions with high White British populations included Swansea (91.5%), Kingston Upon Hull (89.7%), Plymouth (92.2%), Darlington (93.7%), Belfast (96.4% – NI classification "white"), Norwich (84.7%), Liverpool (84.8%) and Chelmsford (90.0%).
Summary of Regional ethnic diversity Areas of England and Wales by ethnicity Summary. 2021 Census data for England and Wales shows that: the most ethnically diverse region was London – 46.2% of residents identified with Asian, black, mixed or 'other' ethnic groups, and a further 17.0% with white ethnic minorities.
More large Jamaican communities in London are Tottenham in North London, Hackney in East London, Harlesden in North-West London and both Croydon & Lewisham in South London. The highest concentration of Jamaicans are more precisely in the South London boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham & Croydon.
Which city of England is known as the Black Country?
Today the term commonly refers to the majority of the four metropolitan boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton although it is said that "no two Black Country men or women will agree on where it starts or ends".
While exact 2025 figures aren't finalized, recent data and projections suggest the White population in the UK is around 77-81%, with White British being the largest group, though its percentage is declining as other ethnic groups grow, with projections showing White Britons becoming a minority by the 2060s. For 2025, estimates place the White population around 77.5%, with White British at about 65-70% and White Other groups (like Polish, Irish, etc.) adding to the total.
Although less than 10% of the total UK-born population lived in London, the city was home to one-third of the total foreign-born population in the country. Northern Ireland, the North East, and Wales were the least popular destinations for migrants.
59.1 per cent of people living in Leicester are from ethnic minority groups. Across England and Wales, 81.7% of individuals were of a white ethnicity. 41.1% of individuals living in Leicester were born outside of the UK compared to 16.8% in England and Wales.
In 2020/21 there were approximately 696,000 Polish nationals living in the United Kingdom, the highest non-British population at this time. Indian and Irish were the joint second-largest nationalities at approximately 370,000 people.
There isn't one single "most run-down" town, as it depends on the metric, but recent reports frequently cite Walsall (West Midlands) as Britain's most deprived for overall quality of life (Good Growth for Cities Index 2025), while Jaywick (Essex) is repeatedly named England's most deprived neighbourhood by government data. Other towns often mentioned for significant decline due to economic hardship, unemployment, and urban decay include areas in Blackpool, Hastings, and Middlesbrough, alongside places like Portsmouth and Aldershot facing specific challenges.
Indians emerge wealthiest ethnic group in UK, says LSE study. A London School of Economics report reveals significant wealth growth for people of Indian origin in the UK over the past decade, while the Pakistani ethnic group experienced a decline.
Asian British residents, especially Indians, have risen since post-war migration to the UK began, famously Asians from Uganda who were expelled in 1972. In 1991, Asians as a broad multi-ethnic group made up nearly a quarter of the city's population but have risen to above a third of the population at 37.1%.
The city with the lowest percentage of white residents in the UK is Leicester, where white people are no longer the majority, with about 41% identifying as white according to 2021 census data, making it one of the most ethnically diverse cities alongside places like Birmingham, Luton, and London boroughs such as Newham and Brent.
For the Victorians, race was a description of social distinction, not of colour differences. Indeed, the view of non-Europeans as an inferior race was but an extension of the already existing view of the working class at home and took a considerable time to be established as the normative view.
ETHNICITY: The Birmingham population is split 51.4% (588,314) 89Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (overall)= and 48.6% (556,608) <White (overall)= in 2021, compared to 42.1% (451,409) 89Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (overall)= and 57.9% (621,636) <White (overall)= in 2011.
The arrival of the ship 'Empire Windrush' is often seen as the start of this migration of Caribbean migrants from countries including Jamaica; Bermuda; Trinidad and British Guiana seeking jobs and a better life in this country. Jamaica for example, had high unemployment and a recent hurricane had caused huge damage.
Cambridge is officially the UK's most unequal city. The top 6% of earners who live there take home 19% of the total income generated, while the bottom 20% of the population account for just 2% of that total. Now a new charity, Cambridge 2030, is being set up to tackle the inequality in the city.
