Ethnic minorities: population composition from 2011 Census
The following data pages summarise information from the 2011 Census on population composition and self-reported health by ethnic group and religion. Further information breakdowns are available from the 2001 census on ethnicity and religion in two reports from the Scottish Government: Analysis of ethnicity in the 2001 Census and Analysis of religion in the 2001 Census.
It should be noted that the classification of ethnic groups in the Census changed between 1991, 2001 and 2011 and is different in Scotland, England and Wales and Northern Ireland. In 2022, the Scottish Government published updated guidance for public bodies on collecting data on the ethnicity of people in Scotland. This includes recommended questions, guidance for interviewers and guidance on the analysis and presentation of results.
Table 1 shows data from the 2011 Census (release 2A) in Scotland on the numbers in each of the main ethnic groups in Scotland. In general, minority ethnic groups in Scotland are younger than the general population. The 2001 census showed that minority ethnic groups are concentrated in urban areas; for example, 80% of Pakistanis but only 39% of White Scottish groups live in large urban areas (Source: Analysis of ethnicity in the 2001 Census). Minority ethnic group populations are also available for 2011 by health board area. To view scroll to table KS201SC in census 2011 release 2A. This and around 65 other breakdowns of ethnicity are available from the 2011 census for different geographies and download via the census data explorer (choosing ethnicity in the topic box).
Table 1: Scottish population by ethnic group (2011)
| 2001 Category | 2011 Category | 2011 number | 2011 Percentage | Change in number 2001-2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All people | All people | 5,295,000 | 100 | 233,000 |
| White | White | 5,084,000 | 96 | 124,000 |
| Scottish | Scottish | 4,446,000 | 84 | -13,000 |
| Other British | Other British | 417,000 | 7.9 | 43,000 |
| Irish | Irish | 54,000 | 1 | 5,000 |
| Other | Gypsies/Travellers | 4,000 | 0.1 | 89,000 |
| Polish | 61,000 | 1.2 | ||
| Other white ethnic group | 102,000 | 1.9 | ||
| Mixed | Mixed or multiple ethnic groups | 20,000 | 0.4 | 7,000 |
| Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British | Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British | 141,000 | 2.7 | 69,000 |
| Pakistani | Pakistani, Pakistani Scottish or Pakistani British | 49,000 | 0.9 | 18,000 |
| Indian | Indian, Indian Scottish or Indian British | 33,000 | 0.6 | 18,000 |
| Bangladeshi | Bangladeshi, Bangladeshi Scottish or Bangladeshi British | 4,000 | 0.1 | 2,000 |
| Chinese | Chinese, Chinese Scottish or Chinese British | 34,000 | 0.6 | 17,000 |
| Other | Other | 21,000 | 0.4 | 15,000 |
| Black, Black Scottish or Black British (Including Caribbean, African and Other Black) | African | 30,000 | 0.6 | 28,000 |
| African, African Scottish or African British | 29,000 | 0.6 | ||
| Other | - | 0 | ||
| Caribbean or Black | 7,000 | 0.1 | ||
| Caribbean, Caribbean Scottish or Caribbean British | 3,000 | 0.1 | ||
| Black, Black Scottish or Black British | 2,000 | 0 | ||
| Other | 1,000 | 0 | ||
| Other | Other ethnic group | 14,000 | 0.3 | 5,000 |
| Arab, Arab Scottish or Arab British | 9,000 | 0.2 | ||
| Other | 5,000 | 0.1 | ||
| White Other and non-White minority ethnic groups | Non White | 212,000 | 4.2 | 109,000 |
| White Other | 167,000 | 3.3 | 89,000 |
Source: National Records of Scotland
Please note: If you require the most up-to-date data available, please check the data sources directly as new data may have been published since these data pages were last updated. Although we endeavour to ensure that the data pages are kept up-to-date, there may be a time lag between new data being published and the relevant ScotPHO web pages being updated.
