Other White

This article is about one of the white ethnicity classifications used in the United Kingdom census. For the broad racial group, see white people in the United Kingdom.
Other White
Distribution by District (2011)
Total population
United Kingdom United Kingdom: 4,009,940 – 6.0% (2021/22 Census)
 England: 3,585,003 – 6.3% (2021)[1]
 Scotland: 254,336 – 4.7% (2022)[a][2]
 Wales: 82,994 – 2.7% (2021)[1]
Northern Ireland: 87,607 – 4.6% (2021)[3]
Regions with significant populations
[citation needed]
Languages
British English, Polish, Romanian, Italian[citation needed]
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (60.4%); minority follows other faiths (6.0%)[b] or are irreligious (25.3%)
2021 census, England and Wales only[c][4]
Related ethnic groups
White British, White Polish, Romanians in the United Kingdom, Italians in the United Kingdom

The term Other White, or White Other, is a classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom, used in documents such as the 2021 United Kingdom Census, to describe people who identify as white persons who are not of the English, Welsh, Scottish, Roma, Irish or Irish Traveller ethnic groupings.[5] In Scotland, the term Other White is also used to refer collectively to those not of Scottish or Other British ethnicity, in which case it also includes those of a Gypsy, Roma, Irish or Irish Traveller background.[6]

The category does not comprise a single ethnic group; rather, it serves a means of identification for white individuals not represented by other white census categories. Consequently, the Other White group encompasses a diverse range of people, and includes those born in Britain and those born elsewhere.[5]

According to the 2021 United Kingdom census, those identifying as Other White in England & Wales enumerated 3,667,997, or 6.2% of the population.[7][8] The largest represented ethnic groups in the Other White category were Poles (614,000 people) and Romanians (343,000 people).[9] In Scotland, the largest represented ethnic groups classed as Other White were Poles (61,000 people) and Irish (54,000 people).[6]

In 2011, the Scottish Government introduced the category White Polish as a means of identifying the Polish diaspora in Scotland.[6]

Along with White British and White Irish, the Other White category does not appear in Northern Ireland, where only one "White" classification was presented to respondents.[10]

  1. ^ a b "Ethnic group, England and Wales: Census 2021". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Scotland's Census 2022 - Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion - Chart data". Scotland's Census. National Records of Scotland. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024. Alternative URL 'Search data by location' > 'All of Scotland' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Ethnic Group'
  3. ^ "Racial Equality (The Executive Office)". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  4. ^ "RM031 - Ethnic group by religion". Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  5. ^ a b "List of ethnic groups". www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  6. ^ a b c "Scotland's Census at a glance: Ethnic groups". Scotland's Census. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  7. ^ "Ethnic group, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  8. ^ "Ethnic group - Census Maps, ONS". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  9. ^ "Ethnic group, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  10. ^ "Harmonised Concepts and Questions for Social Data Sources: Primary Standards – Ethnic Group" (PDF). Office for National Statistics. April 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.


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