London's Passports and Nationalities
The value of learning more about the city's demographic diversity
Global cultural exchange has been an integral aspect of life in London since its establishment by the Romans in the first century AD. Archaeologists working on sites across Roman Britain have discovered artefacts originating from across the empire - from its westernmost provinces in North Africa to the Eastern Mediterranean. Today, London’s multiculturalism extends so far beyond its imported goods as it is one of the world’s most diverse cities. 46% of Londoners come from Black and other Minority Ethnic backgrounds (BAME) and 41% of residents were not even born in the UK, but they call London their home. Migration has also played a crucial role in London’s growth and prosperity. In the past two decades, while the migration of UK residents out of London has been high, that loss of labour and residents has been compensated by arriving expats and immigrants. The diversity achieved by London’s migrant and long-standing BAME communities has even been studied for its economic impact and benefits, with some analysts and economists arguing that London provides a ‘diversity bonus’ that entrepreneurial businesses can seek out and benefit from.
The modern history of migration to the UK really starts with the 16th century as the UK gained greater recognition as a trading powerhouse. Migration from West Africa soared in the 17th century as a result of the UK’s participation in the transatlantic slave trade and African Caribbean communities have been a common presence in the UK for centuries as well, with the Windrush generation of the mid-20th century being the most recent wave of migration from the isles to Great Britain. The 19th and early 20th centuries were also important chapters in the city’s growth and development as they were characterised by the arrival of large numbers of Jewish, Italian, Irish, Lithuanian, Chinese and South Asian peoples. The second half of the 20th century saw a wave of migration from Iran, as well as the Middle East and North Africa to London. While the UK was in the European Union, many from the continent also found a new home in London. Throughout its history and to this day, it cannot be denied that London has been greatly enriched by the diversity of peoples it has welcomed into its streets and homes.
One way of measuring and understanding demographic diversity is by studying the passports held by residents and households of a given neighbourhood; what percentage of residents are UK and non-UK passport holders, if any are dual or multiple nationality citizens, as well as where non-UK passports come from. Such insights obviously do not provide the clearest image of ethnic diversity in London neighbourhoods, as UK passport holders do not all belong to a homogenous group. However, this indicator can help better understand cultural diversity and difference in a given area: what languages one can expect to hear walking down the street, what kind of groceries and goods you’d expect to find in local stores, and what holidays would be locally celebrated.
Bringing this all down to earth now, why is the capital’s diversity and the demographic/cultural character of its different neighbourhoods important to everyday people? How should such factors be taken into consideration when making big life choices, like moving homes or opening a shop?
Let’s start by exploring how this concept could be important to London residents. Suppose you’re planning on moving to London from elsewhere, or if you’re a Londoner who’s trying to find a new place to call home. You also happen to come from a household that is not originally White British, maybe you’re French, Middle Eastern or your family’s from the Caribbean. If that’s the case, it’s fair to assume that it may be important to you that you live in an area that shares that culture and history. If you have a family with children it would probably be even more meaningful because you’d want your kids to practise the language and learn of their culture beyond the small space of the family home. Knowing that there’s a community of passport holders coming from the same country as your background in certain parts of London could make it much easier for you to narrow down the choice of neighbourhoods where you’d choose to hunt down a house.
On the other hand, regardless of your own background, you may desire to live in a part of London characterised by high ethnic diversity. In that case, rather than trying to find pockets of London dominated by a certain group of people, you’d want to locate the neighbourhoods that have a high proportion of non-UK passport holders coming from a variety of countries. Living in areas of high cultural diversity could be especially beneficial to children. Studies have shown that the educational journey of children is strongly improved by attending schools with diverse student bodies, so why not bring that learning experience to kids’ day-to-day lives as well? Living in ethnically diverse areas can also provide residents with access to more varied goods and services such as social and cultural spaces, shops, restaurants and art spaces.
Understanding local demographic distribution can also be helpful to starting up a new business because it provides insights into the clientele of the area. If you’re opening a shop that sells East Asian food products, it would make the most sense to open such a business in a neighbourhood where those goods would be familiar to residents, don’t you think? Or suppose there’s an initiative to establish a Greek community centre, then why not take advantage of knowing where the Greek communities of London agglomerate? You get the picture, it’s best to make sure your establishment is catering to the right people in the right place.
Mapping demographic distributions and cultural diversity can also be beneficial to policymakers as it helps them better visualise where intervention is needed. London is simultaneously home to the most privileged and some of the most deprived migrant communities of the UK. Some migrants have more limited access to proper pay or medical care compared to UK citizens. Non-EU migrants in the UK especially are more likely to face discrimination than other expatriate groups in the country. Non-EU migrants and local BAME communities are also more likely to live in poor quality and/or overcrowded housing conditions. Policymakers could benefit from understanding where non-UK passport holders live and their countries of origin to better position their studies, surveys and policy proposals. Local authorities could also develop social and cultural programmes that are better tailored toward the diverse communities that inhabit their boroughs.
Whether you’re a civil servant, a researcher, a resident or have dreams of starting up your own little business, you would definitely benefit from learning about London’s demographic and cultural diversity. An analysis of London residents’ passports is one of many ways to gain insights into the city’s rich and vibrant social fabric, and carve a place for yourself in this city where you believe you’d best belong.
WaInsight’s ‘Passports Held and Nationalities’ indicator allows you to access data on the nationalities represented in the residents of any given London neighbourhood, as well as each nationality’s proportion of the local population. For more info please visit our website and sign up to WaInsight for free