Introduction
To get statistics for migration, the Census asked people for the country in which they were born. For people not born in one of the four countries of the UK or the Republic of Ireland, there was an option to select "elsewhere". People who selected "elsewhere" were asked to write in the current name for their country of birth.
Summary of results
A total of 54,343 people (20%) in Brighton & Hove said they were born outside the UK.
This is higher than England (17%) and the South East (16%).
The number of people who were born outside the UK in Brighton & Hove is increasing, with a 27% increase seen since 2011 (11,458 more people).
Migration in Brighton & Hove
According to the 2021 Census:
- a total of 54,343 people (20%) in Brighton & Hove said they were born outside the UK. This is higher than England (17%) and the South East (16%).
- the number of people who were born outside the UK in Brighton & Hove is increasing, with a 27% increase seen since 2011 (11,458 more people).
- the majority of residents in the city were born in the UK (80%, 222,760 people).
- ff those who were not born in the UK, people born in EU countries represent the largest percentage of the total population (8%, 23,104). This pattern is also seen in England and the South East (both 6%), however Brighton & Hove has a significantly higher percentage of people born in the EU than either of these regions.
- the percentage of people born in the EU has increased locally, from 6% in 2011, with England and the South East also seeing an increase.
- people born in the Middle East and Asia (5%) comprise the next highest percentage in the city, which is also the case in England (6%) and the South East (5%).
- people born in African represent 3% of the local population, the same as in England and the South East.
- people born in the Americas and the Caribbean represent 2% of the local population
- people born in Oceania (including Australasia) and other places not included in the census questionnaire represent 1%
Brighton & Hove has the 64th highest percentage of people born outside the UK, out of 309 local authorities in England.
| Place of birth | 2021 Census, Brighton & Hove (n) | 2021 Census, Brighton & Hove: Percentage of total population | 2021 Census, South East: Percentage of total population | 2021 Census, England: Percentage of total population | 2011 Census, Brighton & Hove (n) | 2011 Census, Brighton & Hove (%) | Change Brighton & Hove (n) | Change Brighton & Hove (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK (overall) | 222,762 | 80% | 84% | 83% | 230,484 | 84% | -7,722 | -3% |
| England | 214,827 | 78% | 82% | 80% | 221,829 | 81% | -7,002 | -3% |
| Northern Ireland | 1,311 | 1% | 0% | 0% | 1,349 | 0% | -38 | -3% |
| Scotland | 3,900 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 4,391 | 2% | -491 | -11% |
| Wales | 2,710 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2,889 | 1% | -179 | -6% |
| UK: not otherwise specified | 13 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 14 | 0% | -1 | -7% |
| Outside of the UK (overall) | 54,343 | 20% | 16% | 17% | 42,885 | 16% | 11,458 | 27% |
| EU countries | 23,101 | 8% | 6% | 6% | 14,739 | 5% | 8,362 | 57% |
| Rest of Europe | 3,569 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1,962 | 1% | 1,607 | 82% |
| Africa | 7,871 | 3% | 3% | 3% | 6,860 | 2.5% | 1,011 | 15% |
| Middle East and Asia | 12,519 | 5% | 5% | 6% | 10,650 | 3.9% | 1,869 | 18% |
| The Americas and the Caribbean | 5,515 | 2% | 1% | 1% | 3,972 | 1.5% | 1,543 | 39% |
| Oceania | 1,768 | 1% | 0% | 0% | 1,655 | 0.6% | 113 | 7% |
| Other | 1 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | - |
We can also see that people who were born outside the UK are not living evenly across the city and are more concentrated in certain areas. See maps of the 2021 Census results.
Information from Census 2021, including different geographical levels, maps and 2011 census data is available at:
Characteristics
Age
People who were born outside the UK were more likely to be female (55%) than those who were born in the UK (50%). People who were born outside the UK were more likely to between 25 and 49 years old (52%) than those who were born in the UK (32%) (Figure 1). People born outside the UK were less likely to be under 15 years of age (5%) than those born in the UK (17%) and less likely to be 65 years or older (10%) than those born in the UK (15%).
Gender identity and sexual orientation
Information on the gender identity and sexual orientation of those who were not born in the UK is not available.
Ethnicity
People who were born outside the UK were less likely to be of White British ethnicity (46%) than those who were born in the UK (88%).
They were much more likely to be of Asian (16%), Black (6%), Arab (4%) or other (7%) ethnicity than people who were born in the UK (Asian – 2%, Black – 1%, Arab – 0%, other – 1%).
Religion
People who were born in the UK were more likely to have no religious affiliation (59%) than those who were born outside the UK (38%). Those born outside the UK were more likely to be Christian (37%) or Muslim (10%) than those who were born in the UK (29% and 1%, respectively).
Unpaid care
Those who were born outside the UK were less likely to report that they provide some amount of unpaid care each week (6%) than those who were born in the UK (8%).
Long-term health and disability
People who were born outside the UK were less likely to report that they are disabled under the equalities act definition (day-to-day activities limited a little or a lot, 13%) than those who were born in the UK (20%).
Veterans
Of those aged 16 years or above, people born outside the UK were less likely to have served in the UK armed forces (regular or reserve, 1%) than people who were born in the UK (3%).