Other White

Distribution by District (2011)
Total population
2,690,088 4.25% of the total population (2011 census) England: 3,585,003 (2021)[1] Wales: 82,994 (2021)[1] Scotland: 102,117 (2011)
Regions with significant populations
London, East of England, Greater Manchester, Peterborough, Nottingham, Reading, Boston
Languages
British English, Polish, Romanian, Italian
Religion
Predominantly Christianity; Minorities practice Irreligion, Judaism and Islam
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.^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[2]

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.^[4][5] The largest represented ethnic groups in the Other White category were Poles (614,000 people) and Romanians (343,000 people).^[6] In Scotland, the largest represented ethnic groups classed as Other White were Poles (61,000 people) and Irish (54,000 people).^[3]

In 2011, the Scottish Government introduced the category White Polish as a means of identifying the Polish diaspora in Scotland.^[3]

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.^[7]

Demographics

Birthplace

According to 2016 ONS Estimates, Other Whites enumerated 4,167,000, or 6.3% of the population in the United Kingdom.^[9] However, their numbers, in line with a slight population decline in Polish and Romanian citizens in Britain, fell to 3,667,997 in England & Wales at the 2021 United Kingdom census.^[10][11]

In the 2001 UK Census, the majority of people living in England and Wales ticking the 'Other White' ethnic group specified their ethnicity as European.^[12] Four out of five of the 'Other White' category (i.e. not British or Irish) were born overseas. A third were born in a Western European country other than the UK, and one in seven were born in an Eastern European country.^[12]

Outside of Europe, countries derived from former British colonies such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States were among the top ten birthplaces (which included the UK itself). This suggested that, in 2001, significant numbers of Canadian Britons, Australian Briton, New Zealand Britons, American Britons and South African Britons, such as those born abroad to British parents and returned to the UK as minors, identified as White Other. It may also be that those who identify as white Canadians, white Australians, white New Zealanders, white Americans or white South Africans have migrated to the country as adults.^[12]

Economic status

The Other White group is largely of working age, with only one in ten aged over 65 and one in seven under 16 at the time of the 2001 census. This does vary according to the stated country of birth, with people born in the UK being disproportionately young. Polish and Italian respondents had a larger proportion of over 65s,^{[12][dead link]} which reflects the migration of Poles and Italians to Britain after the Second World War.^{[citation needed]}

In 2019, the Other White group had a median hourly pay of £11.54 (8% less than the White British group).^[13]

In 2021, the Other White group had an employment rate of 82% - the highest in England, Scotland and Wales.^[14]

According to a 2022 Civitas report, Other White citizens have average wealth or assets of £53,200.^[15]

Religion

Religion	England and Wales
	2011[16]		2021[17]
	Number	%	Number	%
Christianity	1,617,833	65.08%	2,202,595	60.05%
No religion	464,911	18.70%	933,703	25.46%
Islam	131,056	5.27%	131,425	3.58%
Judaism	39,319	1.58%	49,125	1.34%
Buddhism	9,275	0.37%	9,658	0.26%
Hinduism	4,740	0.19%	1,368	0.04%
Sikhism	1,795	0.07%	607	0.02%
Other religions	11,749	0.47%	31,925	0.87%
Not Stated	205,134	8.25%	307,587	8.39%

Detailed breakdown

• Other White ethnic groups with above 50,000 population as population pyramids in 2021
• 
  White European Mixed
• 
  White Polish
• 
  White Romanian
• 
  White Italian
• 
  White German
• 
  White: Other White or White Unspecified
• 
  White Greek
• 
  White Australian+New Zealander
• 
  White Hungarian
• 
  White Turkish
• 
  White Spanish
• 
  White South African
• 
  White Bulgarian
• 
  White North American
• 
  White French
• 
  White Portuguese
• 
  White Lithuanians