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.
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]
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]
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]
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]
More information Ethnic group, Individual median wealth ...
Gardener, David; Connolly, Helen (October 2005). "Who are the 'Other' ethnic groups?"(PDF). Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original(PDF) on May 28, 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2008.