2001 Census of Population: First results on Ethnic Groups and Identity

Key results

• 2.1 per cent - or some 62,000 people in Wales - have non-White ethnic (minority) backgrounds.
• The main concentrations of ethnic minorities by local authority area are in the south of Wales. Cardiff has the highest number and proportion in its population (just under 26,000 or 8.4 per cent) followed by Newport (nearly 7,000 or 4.8 per cent) and Swansea (nearly 5,000 or 2.2 per cent). In no other local authority area of Wales do those with an ethnic minority background account for more than 2 per cent of the population (apart from in The Vale of Glamorgan - 2.2 per cent) or number more than 3,000.
• The ethnic minority population is very diverse but the group that predominates is that of Asian background (over 25,000 or some 40 per cent of the total ethnic minority population).
• Whilst 14 per cent of people in Wales identified themselves as Welsh on census forms (by writing-in 'Welsh' in reply to the ethnicity question - instead of or as well as ticking one of the ethnic categories), in the 2001 Welsh Local Labour Force Survey 69 per cent gave their national identity as Welsh when asked to specify between (in the following order): Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish, British or Other (or a combination of these).

Source

Office for National Statistics website: Key Statistics for local authorities in Wales

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 3220
E-mail: stats.popcensus@wales.gsi.gov.uk