Census data shows 1 in 6 people in England and Wales were born abroad, many from India
- The number of foreign-born residents in England and Wales increased by 2.5 million over the decade to 10 million
- New census data showed that people born in India were the biggest group of foreign-born nationals
The foreign-born population of England and Wales rose sharply in the past decade with an increase in arrivals from Romania, India and Poland, official data showed.
Migration drove a 6.3 per cent rise in the population between 2011 and 2021, according to data from the most recent census conducted last year.
The Office for National Statistics said that 16.8 per cent of residents were born abroad, up from 13.4 per cent a decade earlier.
The figures are almost certain to fuel divisions over immigration in the wake of Britain leaving the European Union.
While some in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government want strict limits on the number of people coming to the UK, many others say a looser regime is needed to boost the struggling economy and ease labour shortages holding back companies is sectors such as hospitality.
“Our attitudes towards the consequences of immigration are now much more favourable than they were in 2016 and certainly much more favourable a year ago,” John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde and Britain’s most prominent electoral analyst, told reporters on Wednesday. “The majority of people now think immigration is good for the economy, and it’s good for our cultural life.”