Minority ethnic children a majority

Children from Black Asian and other ethnic minority families in Birmingham and Leicester currently make up the largest group in the cities researchers say.

Research estimates that more than half of children under 16 in the two cities are now from black, Asian and other ethnic community backgrounds while white children make up 47 per cent of the population in both areas.

The March census will confirm the figures and research suggest that the change could be due to immigration and more white families moving out of the areas whilst a growing young population is springing up.  

This is a change from a 2006 report which estimated that, at the time, 53 per cent of children under 16 in Birmingham were from white families.

It also forecast that the proportion of children aged under 16 who are from ethnic minorities will rise to about 64 per cent by 2026, while the proportion of children from white families will be 36 per cent.

In Leicester it is predicted that children from white families will make up 31.8 per cent of under 16s by 2026.

The data extracted from research carried out by the Cathie Marsh Institute at the University of Manchester was commissioned by Birmingham City Council while the Leicester estimates are from a student’s dissertation.

A Daily Mail report of the research finding states that: ‘At the time of the last census in 2001, 70.4 per cent of Birmingham’s population of all age ranges was white and 29.6 per cent from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, dominated by those with Asian, Caribbean and African origins.

‘It is predicted that by 2024 no ethnic group will form a majority. At present the total population of the city is just over one million.

‘In Leicester, white British people made up 60.54 per cent of the population at the time of the 2001 census.

‘Population: More than half of children in Birmingham will be from black and Asian communities, making white families a minority group, a report says

‘According to the University of Manchester predictions, Leicester will become Britain’s first city where no ethnic group forms a majority in about 2019. Leicester’s population at present is more than 300,000.

‘Professor Ludi Simpson, who led the research team, said: “In Leicester and Birmingham, the white group will remain the largest by far – though it will not account for a majority of the population as a whole”.

Main pic: Birmingham pupils