Diversity in Leicester

• approximately 40% of Leicester’s population has an ethnic minority background and the city is projected to have a non-white majority population sometime after 2011

• most, 26%, of Leicester’s minority ethnic population are Gujarati Indians, originally either from East Africa, especially Uganda and Kenya, or from Gujarat, India
• other smaller communities in the city include the African Caribbean and Somali communities, both at around 3% each, as well as Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, other African and a Chinese community.
  

• Leicester has a young population as 45% of residents are under 29 years old

• the number of people over 60 in Leicester is declining as older residents move to the neighbouring areas in the county
• nearly a quarter of older people in Leicester are from Black and ethnic minority communities.
  

• the city is home to nearly 1000 asylum seekers and refugees, many of whom are single young men

• it is estimated there may be up to 5000 ‘underground migrants’ living in the city comprising asylum seekers, failed asylum seekers, economic migrants and illegal immigrants
• since 2005 there have been a significant number of Polish people arriving in the city.
  

• Leicester has a population of 288,000 (2005 mid year estimate)

• it is believed this figure represents a significant ‘population undercount’.
  

• in Leicester there are approximately 240 faith groups across 14 different faiths

• there are 123 places of Christian worship, 29 mosques, 22 Hindu temples, 7 Sikh Gurdwaras, 2 Jewish synagogues and one Jain temple
• 75% of Leicester’s Indian community are Hindu and 25% are Muslim
• over recent years the Muslim population has significantly increased.
  

• 16% of people in Leicester prefer to speak Gujarati, 3% Punjabi, and 2% Urdu. Other smaller language groups include Hindi, Somali, Bengali, Arabic and Polish

• for 45% of primary school children their first language is known, or believed to be, other than English
• English is commonly spoken by 81% of residents.
  

• Leicester has high levels of poor literacy – reading and writing in English – 68% compared to the national average of 56%. This means that approximately two-thirds of residents cannot read or write English easily.

• areas of the city fall within the most deprived 5% of all areas in England. They are mostly in the centre and west of the city

• the map of poverty and deprivation across the city differs from the map of ethnicity.
  

• although the rate of increase is above average, educational attainment rates in the city are low

• the percentage of children achieving 5 or more GCSE grades A*-C has increased over the last five years. The GCSE results for Indian young people are higher than the national average
• across the country there is an issue of educational under-achievement amongst Black male students. There are higher than average levels of under-achievement within this group in Leicester.
  

• people with an ethnic minority background are more likely to be unemployed than white people

• within the ethnic minority population – Indian people are more likely to be employed; Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi people are more likely to be unemployed
• 16% of employees in Leicester are in manufacturing and 80% are in the service sector
• the largest employers and the greatest number of employees are now concentrated in public administration, education and health sectors. These account for 32% of all employment in the city.
  

• Leicester has poor rates of health. Within Leicester there are significant differences in the patterns of disease between ethnic groups and those of differing socio-economic status

• perceptions of ‘poor’ health are particularly prevalent amongst the Irish, Black Caribbean and white populations of the city.
  

• Black and ethnic minority residents in the city are significantly more worried about crime than white residents. This covers domestic burglary, vehicle crime, deliberate damage to property, people using or dealing in drugs and teenagers hanging around.

• Asian residents are more worried about being mugged or robbed, and more worried about domestic violence, than are white or black residents.
  

• the residents of Leicester recognise that the city is both multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-faith

• Leicester has a reputation for welcoming and celebrating diversity
• the major location for cross-cultural mixing in Leicester is local shops.
  

• in the 2003 local elections, electoral turnout was higher in wards with higher ethnic minority populations

• 20% of members of the 2003-2007 Leicester City Council have an ethnic minority background compared to 3% of councillors nationally. There are 10 Asian members and one Black member.