SafekipediaDemographics of Birmingham
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
Birmingham is the largest city in England and is very important for understanding population trends in the country. Experts at the Office for National Statistics study how many people live in Birmingham and in each of its different areas, called wards. This helps everyone know how the city is growing and changing.
Birmingham is not just a big city; it is also the center of a larger group of nearby towns and cities known as the West Midlands conurbation. This whole area is the third most crowded urban space in all of England, which means many people make their homes there. Knowing about the people who live in Birmingham helps leaders make good plans for schools, hospitals, and other important services.
Population
Birmingham is a big city in England. In 2001, the city had 977,099 people. By 2005, the number grew to 1,001,200, marking the first time it crossed one million since 1996. This growth happened because there were more births, more people moving in, and fewer deaths. Experts think the population will keep growing, reaching about 1,113,600 by 2028, adding around 4,000 to 5,000 people each year.
Birmingham has many young people. In 2005, about 23.4% of people were under 16 years old, and the average age was 36, which is younger than England’s average of 38.6 years. Some areas, like Hodge Hill, have lots of children, while others, like Sutton Coldfield, have more older people.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1538 | 1,300 | — |
| 1650 | 5,472 | +320.9% |
| 1700 | 15,032 | +174.7% |
| 1731 | 23,286 | +54.9% |
| 1778 | 42,250 | +81.4% |
| 1785 | 52,250 | +23.7% |
| 1801 | 73,670 | +41.0% |
| 1811 | 85,753 | +16.4% |
| 1821 | 106,722 | +24.5% |
| 1831 | 146,986 | +37.7% |
| 1841 | 182,922 | +24.4% |
| 1851 | 232,638 | +27.2% |
| 1861 | 296,076 | +27.3% |
| 1871 | 343,787 | +16.1% |
| 1881 | 400,774 | +16.6% |
| 1891 | 478,113 | +19.3% |
| 1901 | 522,204 | +9.2% |
| 1911 | 840,202 | +60.9% |
| 1921 | 919,444 | +9.4% |
| 1931 | 1,002,603 | +9.0% |
| 1939 | 995,039 | −0.8% |
| 1951 | 1,112,685 | +11.8% |
| 1961 | 1,107,187 | −0.5% |
| 1971 | 1,098,654 | −0.8% |
| 1981 | 996,365 | −9.3% |
| 1991 | 1,005,764 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 977,091 | −2.9% |
| 2011 | 1,073,045 | +9.8% |
| 2021 | 1,144,900 | +6.7% |
Ethnicity
The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in estimations for 1951, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1981 and in the 1991 to 2021 censuses in Birmingham.
Estimates vary for population sizes; in 1958 the official estimate by the Home Office of individual groups for Birmingham's population was around 20,000 from the Caribbean, 7,000 from Pakistan, 2,000 from India and 450 from West Africa, which is around the same total amount given for the 1961 estimates.
Detailed
The following table shows the 20 largest ethnic groups as identified by the residents of Birmingham in the 2021 census.
These detailed ethnicities are based on the self-designation entries used in UK ethnicity classifications. Of the "White" ethnicities, after European Mixed, the next largest were White unspecified, Other Eastern European and Roma. After Afghan, the next largest in the "Asian" ethnicities include Filipino, Other/unspecified, Vietnamese and Sri Lankan. There was also a population of Iranians in the "Asian" category, however a significant number self-identified under the "Other" category, instead of "Asian". Similarly, there were Sikhs who identified themselves as "Asian", but a larger number identified themselves as "Other".
The next largest entries of the "Black" ethnicity group, after Nigerian, were Eritrean, Other/unspecified, Somalilander and Ghanaian. In the "Other" ethnic category, the largest groups after Sikh were Kashmiri, Kurdish, and "Any other ethnic group".
| Ethnic Group | 1951 estimations | 1961 estimations | 1966 estimations | 1971 estimations | 1981 estimations | 1991 census | 2001 census | 2011 census | 2021 census | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| White: Total | 1,107,685 | 99.6% | 1,079,018 | 97.6% | 1,014,350 | 95.3% | 921,819 | 90.9% | 838,751 | 83.5% | 754,274 | 78.48% | 687,406 | 70.35% | 621,636 | 57.93% | 556,608 | 48.7% |
| White: British | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 641,345 | 65.64% | 570,217 | 53.14% | 491,211 | 42.9% |
| White: Irish | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 38,290 | 3.98% | 31,467 | 3.22% | 22,021 | 2.05% | 16,964 | 1.5% |
| White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 408 | 0.04% | 686 | 0.1% |
| White: Roma | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,833 | 0.2% |
| White: Other | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14,594 | 1.49% | 28,990 | 2.70% | 45,914 | 4.0% |
| Asian or Asian British: Total | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 106,550 | 10.6% | 138,867 | 14.44% | 195,794 | 20.04% | 285,640 | 26.62% | 355,384 | 31% |
| Asian or Asian British: Indian | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 42,865 | 51,075 | 5.31% | 55,749 | 5.71% | 64,621 | 6.02% | 66,519 | 5.8% | |
| Asian or Asian British: Pakistani | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 49,405 | 66,085 | 6.87% | 104,017 | 10.65% | 144,627 | 13.48% | 195,102 | 17.0% | |
| Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7,523 | 12,739 | 1.32% | 20,836 | 2.13% | 32,532 | 3.03% | 48,232 | 4.2% | |
| Asian or Asian British: Chinese | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,523 | – | 3,315 | 0.34% | 5,106 | 0.52% | 12,712 | 1.18% | 12,487 | 1.1% |
| Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4,234 | – | 5,653 | 0.58% | 10,086 | 1.03% | 31,148 | 2.90% | 33,044 | 2.9% |
| Black or Black British: Total | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 49,473 | 4.9% | 56,376 | 5.86% | 59,832 | 6.12% | 96,360 | 8.98% | 125,760 | 10.9% |
| Black or Black British: African | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,443 | – | 2,803 | 0.29% | 6,206 | 0.64% | 29,991 | 2.79% | 66,822 | 5.8% |
| Black or Black British: Caribbean | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 39,585 | 44,770 | 4.65% | 47,831 | 4.90% | 47,641 | 4.44% | 44,718 | 3.9% | |
| Black or Black British: Other Black | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7,445 | – | 8,803 | 0.91% | 5,795 | 0.59% | 18,728 | 1.75% | 14,220 | 1.2% |
| Mixed: Total | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 27,946 | 2.86% | 47,605 | 4.44% | 55,205 | 4.8% |
| Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15,644 | 1.60% | 24,720 | 2.30% | 25,119 | 2.2% |
| Mixed: White and Black African | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,446 | 0.15% | 3,223 | 0.30% | 4,680 | 0.4% |
| Mixed: White and Asian | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6,307 | 0.65% | 11,186 | 1.04% | 13,130 | 1.1% |
| Mixed: Other Mixed | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4,549 | 0.47% | 8,476 | 0.79% | 12,276 | 1.1% |
| Other: Total | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9,349 | 0.9% | 11,524 | 1.19% | 6,109 | 0.63% | 21,804 | 2.03% | 51,965 | 4.6% |
| Other: Arab | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10,910 | 1.02% | 19,196 | 1.7% |
| Other: Any other ethnic group | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11,524 | 1.19% | 6,109 | 0.63% | 10,894 | 1.02% | 32,769 | 2.9% |
| Ethnic minority: Total | 5,000 | 0.4% | 28,169 | 2.4% | 49,870 | 4.7% | 92,466 | 9.1% | 165,372 | 16.4% | 206,767 | 21.52% | 289,681 | 29.65% | 451,409 | 42.07% | 588,314 | 51.3% |
| Total | 1,112,685 | 100% | 1,107,187 | 100% | 1,064,220 | 100% | 1,014,285 | 100% | 1,004,123 | 100% | 961,041 | 100% | 977,087 | 100% | 1,073,045 | 100% | 1,144,922 | 100% |
| Detailed ethnicity | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ethnic category | Ethnicity | Population |
| White | English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British | 491,179 |
| Asian | Pakistani or British Pakistani | 195,102 |
| Asian | Indian or British Indian | 66,519 |
| Asian | Bangladeshi or British Bangladeshi | 48,232 |
| Black | Caribbean | 44,673 |
| Black | African (unspecified) | 25,161 |
| Mixed/Multiple | White and Black Caribbean | 25,119 |
| Other | Arab | 19,196 |
| White | Irish | 16,971 |
| Black | Somali | 16,964 |
| Mixed/Multiple | White and Asian (unspecified) | 13,130 |
| Asian | Chinese | 12,487 |
| Black | British | 9,411 |
| White | Polish | 8,407 |
| Asian | Kashmiri | 8,224 |
| White | Romanian | 7,364 |
| White | European Mixed | 7,138 |
| Black | Nigerian | 5,764 |
| Asian | Afghan | 5,293 |
| Other | Sikh | 4,842 |
Country of birth
National identity
Birmingham, England, has a population of over 1 million people. Most people living there say they are only "British," with many also saying they are "English." Some people also say they have identities from places outside the United Kingdom.
Languages
Birmingham is a place where many different languages are spoken. The most common languages come from a study done in 2011.
In another study from the same year, Polish became a very popular language in the West Midlands area, where Birmingham is the biggest city.
| Rank | Language | Usual residents aged 3+ | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 866,833 | 84.70% |
| 2 | Urdu | 29,403 | 2.87% |
| 3 | Punjabi | 21,166 | 2.07% |
| 4 | Bengali (with Sylheti and Chatgaya) | 14,718 | 1.44% |
| 5 | Pakistani Pahari (with Mirpuri and Potwari) | 10,827 | 1.06% |
| 6 | Polish | 8,952 | 0.87% |
| 7 | Somali | 8,139 | 0.80% |
| 8 | Arabic | 6,921 | 0.68% |
| 9 | Pashto | 6,123 | 0.60% |
| 10 | Gujarati | 4,871 | 0.48% |
| 11 | Persian | 3,031 | 0.30% |
| 12 | French | 2,558 | 0.25% |
| 13 | Hindi | 1,540 | 0.15% |
| 14 | Romanian | 1,233 | 0.12% |
| 15 | Cantonese Chinese | 1,198 | 0.12% |
| 16 | Tagalog/Filipino | 1,186 | 0.12% |
| 17 | Portuguese | 1,127 | 0.11% |
| 18 | Tigrinya | 1,074 | 0.10% |
| 19 | German | 1,009 | 0.10% |
| 20 | Tamil | 999 | 0.10% |
| Other | 30,478 | 2.98% |
Religion
Main article: Religion in Birmingham
Birmingham has a diverse mix of religions. In 2001, most people in Birmingham were Christians, making up about 59% of the population. Islam was the second most common religion, with about 14% of people following it. Around 12% of people said they had no religion, and some did not share their religious beliefs.
Birmingham has more Muslims than many other places in England. Many people from different backgrounds practice different religions in the city. For example, most Indian people in Birmingham are either Sikh or Hindu, while many Bangladeshi and Pakistani people are Muslim. The city also has smaller groups of Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, and Sikhs, each with their own communities.
| Religion | 1980s estimations | 1990s estimations | 2001 census | 2011 census | 2021 census | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Christian | – | – | – | – | 577,783 | 59.13% | 494,358 | 46.07% | 389,406 | 34.0% |
| Muslim | – | – | 80,461 (1991) to 100,000 | 8% to 9.9% | 140,033 | 14.33% | 234,411 | 21.85% | 341,811 | 29.9% |
| Sikh | – | – | – | – | 28,592 | 2.93% | 32,376 | 3.02% | 33,126 | 2.9% |
| Hindu | – | – | – | – | 19,358 | 1.98% | 22,362 | 2.08% | 21,997 | 1.9% |
| Buddhist | – | – | – | – | 2,977 | 0.30% | 4,780 | 0.45% | 4,340 | 0.4% |
| Jewish | 5,000 (1985) | – | 4,000 (1995) | – | 2,343 | 0.24% | 2,205 | 0.21% | 1,687 | 0.1% |
| Other religion | – | – | – | – | 2,501 | 0.26% | 5,646 | 0.53% | 6,367 | 0.6% |
| No religion | – | – | – | – | 121,541 | 12.44% | 206,821 | 19.27% | 276,327 | 24.1% |
| Religion not stated | – | – | – | – | 81,959 | 8.39% | 70,086 | 6.53% | 69,856 | 6.1% |
| Total | – | – | 1,005,764 | 100% | 977,087 | 100.00% | 1,073,045 | 100.00% | 1,144,917 | 100.00% |
Sexual orientation
In the 2021 census, researchers asked people in Birmingham, England, about their sexual orientation. Most people, 779,053, said they were straight or heterosexual. Smaller groups said they were gay or lesbian (11,968), bisexual (11,258), or another orientation (3,580). Some people, 83,765, did not answer this question. This information helps us understand the different kinds of people who live in Birmingham.
Income and industry
Most people in Birmingham work in service jobs. In the past, half of the jobs were in manufacturing, but that has changed a lot since the middle of the 1900s.
Health
In Birmingham, a large number of people reported their health as not good in the 2021 census.
Many people in Birmingham have obesity. About 29% of adults are considered obese, which is much higher than the average in Europe. Also, around a quarter of 11- and 12-year-olds in the city are obese.
Education
The education system in Birmingham is well-developed, offering various opportunities for children and young people to learn and grow. Schools in the city provide a range of programs to support students in their academic journeys.
Housing
This section shows what kinds of homes people live in across Birmingham, based on information from 2021.
Birmingham has 423,456 homes in total. Most of these homes, about 226,657, are owned by the people living in them. Some of these are owned without any payments left to make, while others are still being paid for. Around 196,799 homes are rented, with some being rented from social housing groups and others from private landlords or other arrangements.
Looking at how families live together, there are 133,225 homes with just one person, 243,037 homes with a single family, and 47,195 homes that are other types of arrangements.
| Accommodation type | Population |
|---|---|
| Whole house or bungalow | 927,835 |
| Whole house or bungalow: Detached | 141,217 |
| Whole house or bungalow: Semi-detached | 436,846 |
| Whole house or bungalow: Terraced | 349,772 |
| Flat, maisonette or apartment | 189,335 |
| A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure | 677 |
| Tenure | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Number | Number | Number | |||||
| Owned | 224,804 | 232,771 | 230,556 | 226,657 | ||||
| Owned: outright | 83,277 | 106,437 | 110,356 | 118,611 | ||||
| Owned: with a mortgage or loan | 141,527 | 129,772 | 120,200 | 108,046 | ||||
| Privately renting | 29,495 | 46,154 | 73,405 | 95,719 | ||||
| Lives rent free | 7,183 | 1,580 | ||||||
| Social renting | 119,738 | 108,429 | 99,592 | 99,499 | ||||
| Total | 374,037 | 390,792 | 410,736 | 423,455 | ||||
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