Nearly half of people living in Leicester were not born in the UK, new figures have revealed. There has also been a marked increase in the number of people from overseas calling the wider county their home in the last 10 years.
New data from the National Census which was conducted last year has revealed the changing demographics of the area. Compared to 10 years ago, it showed that two in five people living in Leicester – 41.1 per cent – were not born in the UK.
The previous census, which was conducted in 2011, showed how much it has risen since with figures back then indicating that just 33.6 per cent of people living in Leicester were not born in the UK. The rise makes the city top of the pile in terms of proportion for foreign-born residents anywhere in Leicestershire – and also makes the city 17th highest in England and Wales.
The National Census data breaks down every part of the county and reveals sizeable increases in each area over the past 10 years. The biggest increase outside of the city is Oadby and Wigston where 19.4 per cent of its residents were not born in the UK – that is up from 15.1 per cent in 2011.
Meanwhile, Charnwood, which includes Leicestershire’s largest town Loughborough, also saw a noted rise with 13.1 per cent of its residents not born in the UK – that is up from 10.4 per cent a decade earlier. Blaby district saw a similar increase with its percentage now standing at 9.6 per cent – up on 6.6 per cent in 2011.
Read More: Two in five Leicester residents were not born in the UK
