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Communities and Heritage

Explore data and insight across African, Caribbean, African Caribbean, mixed heritage and diaspora communities.

Classification note: Communities are self-identified and source categories vary by dataset. These groupings must be used carefully and explained in context.

African

People with heritage from a country in Africa, using source categories where available.

Classification note ->

Caribbean

People with heritage from the Caribbean region.

Classification note ->

African Caribbean

People with heritage from both Africa and the Caribbean.

Classification note ->

Mixed Heritage

People with Black heritage and one or more other ethnic backgrounds.

Classification note ->

Global African Diaspora

A contextual grouping, not a Census category.

Classification note ->

Featured insight

Economic participation varies significantly across communities.

Use community-level figures only when sample size and methodology support disaggregation.

View insight ->

How We Classify Data

Based on ONS categories where possible, harmonised for consistency, and reviewed with source limitations visible.

Read data methodology ->

Additional source content: Communities and Heritage. This section preserves 118 evidence notes, source references and content items from the supplied site build. Claims should be read with the named source and caveat where shown.

DescriptionCommunity profiles, heritage, religion, language, and cultural data for Black British communities in England and Wales. Sourced from ONS Census 2021.

Communities & Heritage

About Our Classifications

Community Profiles

Sub-group Population

Black British Sub-groups — England & Wales (2021)

Religion by Sub-group

Religion by Black British Sub-group — England & Wales (2021, %)

Pentecostal & Charismatic Christianity

Pending Data

Sources

Communities & Heritage — UK Black Demographics | BlackBritish.org.uk

Community profiles, heritage, religion, language, and cultural data for Black British communities in England and Wales. Primary source: ONS Census 2021.

Census 2021 · TS021

1.9m

Black British population

Black African 1,024,000

Black Caribbean 594,000

Black Other 280,000

How We Classify Data

The ONS Census 2021 classifies the Black or Black British population of England and Wales into three categories:

Black African

Black Caribbean

, and

Black Other

. These are self-identification categories and do not capture the full diversity of national, ethnic, and cultural identities within each group.

Within Black African alone there are communities from over 50 countries of origin, each with distinct languages, cultures, and histories. The Black African sub-group grew by approximately 50% between 2011 and 2021, driven by migration from Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Somalia, and other countries.

Total Black British population

3.2% of England & Wales

ONS Census 2021, Table TS021

View source

ONS Census 2021, Table TS030 (Religion by ethnic group). Selected categories shown.

Christian

Muslim

No religion

Featured Insight

Source: ONS Census 2021, Table TS030 · Research: British Christianity report

Read the full report

Our Methodology

How we verify every figure before publication.

Research Reports

In-depth reports on Black British communities.

Source

stat1,024,000

sourceCensus 2021, TS021

descThe largest Black British sub-group, encompassing communities from over 50 countries of origin. Grew approximately 50% between 2011 and 2021.

href/communities

stat594,000

descCommunities with heritage from the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and other islands. Older age profile than Black African sub-group.

stat280,000

descPeople who identify as Black or Black British but do not identify with the African or Caribbean categories. Includes mixed heritage and other identities.

titleBlack Majority Churches

stat79%

sourceCensus 2021, TS030

descBlack British Christians are disproportionately represented in Pentecostal and charismatic denominations. Black-majority churches are among the fastest-growing congregations in England and Wales.

href/research/british-christianity

titleReligion & Faith

stat73%

descBlack British communities have significantly higher rates of Christian identification than the general population (46%). Black African communities also have a notable Muslim minority (12%).

titleLanguage & English Proficiency

descBeing verified against Census 2021, Table TS024 (Main language by ethnic group) and Table TS025 (English proficiency by ethnic group).

statusPending verification

titleHeritage, Country of Birth & National Identity

descBeing compiled from Census 2021, Table TS004 (Country of birth) and Table TS029 (National identity by ethnic group).

labelSub-group population

noteEthnic group, England & Wales

urlhttps://www.ons.gov.uk/census/census2021results/topicbasedprofiles

labelReligion

nameONS Census 2021, Table TS030

noteReligion by ethnic group

labelLanguage (pending)

nameONS Census 2021, Table TS024

noteMain language by ethnic group

labelCountry of birth (pending)

nameONS Census 2021, Table TS004

noteCountry of birth by ethnic group

labelNational identity (pending)

nameONS Census 2021, Table TS029

noteNational identity by ethnic group

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recharts

1.7% of England & Wales

1.0% of England & Wales

0.5% of England & Wales

Black African identifying as Christian

Black Caribbean identifying as Christian

description

canonical

https://blackbritish.org.uk/communities

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Census 2021, TS024

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Black African — largest sub-group

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