Self defined ethnicity (SDE) codes are a set of codes used by the Home Office in the United Kingdom to classify an individual's ethnicity according to that person's self-definition.
The codes are also called "18 + 1" codes, as there are 18 of them, plus one code (NS) for "not stated".[1] In addition to the previously used 16+1 codes, they contain the categories W3 and O2, while A4 is now replacing O1 (Chinese).[2]
The code system originated in the United Kingdom Census 2001 based on Recommendation 61 of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report (SLIR).[2][3]
British police forces are required to use the SDE 18+1 codes (as opposed to the commonly used radio shorthand IC codes) when spoken contact has taken place and an individual has been given an opportunity to state their self-perceived ethnicity.