Statistics
This section provides available statistical information relating to asylum seekers and refugees followed by data relating to the minority ethnic population in London and other contextual information about the city. Data which specifically focuses on asylum seekers and refugees often lack relevant information. For instance qualifications, skills, employment experience are not systematically recorded. But this is a problem shared more broadly for statistics relating to all types of migrants and to London populations in general. London boroughs feel that the 2011 census will carry on undercounting London's population, despite changes introduced to improve local population estimates.
Asylum seekers
Approximately 36% of England's asylum seekers reside in London. As of December 2010, there were 3,400 supported asylums seekers in Greater London, of which 2,370 receive subsistence only support and 1,030 are supported in accommodation. Once a supported asylum seeker becomes a refugee and is able to access mainstream services, Asylum Support may inform local agencies to alert them to the fact that there may be someone in need of their services locally, but this does not happen systematically and agencies may not keep this data. The current top five London boroughs with the highest number of supported asylum seekers are: Newham (385), Enfield (370), Haringey (305), Redbridge (250, and Ealing (190).
Refugees
It is very difficult to calculate the number of refugees in any given city. This is because the Home Office only keeps statistics on the number of asylum seekers that are being accommodated and/or supported. As a result, estimates on the number of refugees can only be made using research or client data collected by relevant agencies. It is also the case that data is not collected on the location of individuals awarded ELR, HP or DL and asylum seekers that are not accommodated or supported by the Home Office.
Estimates by the Greater London Authority in 2009 suggest a population of 600,000 refugees who arrived after 1989, which represent 7% of the city's population. Figures for migrants are hotly contested, but one survey quoted approvingly by the Greater London Authority cites a total of 900,000 people born outside the UK arriving after 1990; if 600,000 are refugees, most of the remaining 300,000 are presumably other migrants.
Statutory bodies that are required to serve refugees as part of the local population can be a source of data, as they are required to collect data and conduct research to underpin service delivery. For example, the local education service should have statistics on refugee and asylum seeking children in their area, likewise, social services should have data on unaccompanied minors who have received positive decisions.
The National Pupil Database (NPD) and its local equivalent, the London Pupil Database (LPD) is now being analysed to understand attainment patterns and trends across ethnic groups in the capital, which can be a potentially valuable source of information about ‘new pupils (migrants)' entering the schools system, including asylum seekers and refugees. Similarly, the local health service may have aggregate data on its refugee population. Local refugee agencies and groups could also be a good source for anecdotal estimates or aggregate data from client databases.
London's Population Makeup by Ethnic Group
Population projections predict a steady increase in London's population and ethnic groups. London's White population is estimated to be the only ethnic group that will decline in numbers.
The table below shows outlines the estimated current ethnic makeup of London, comparing the percentages of the general ethnic groups that reside within Greater London:
| Ethnic Group | Total Population |
| White | 64.89 |
| Black Caribbean | 4.85 |
| Black African | 6.54 |
| Black Other | 2.78 |
| Indian | 6.92 |
| Pakistani | 2.51 |
| Bangladeshi | 2.6 |
| Asian Other | 3.34 |
| Chinese | 1.47 |
| Other | 4.08 |
| BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) TOTAL | 35.11 |
Bookmark this page:
Last Updated: 04/03/11
