Polish are the largest non-Brit resident group in the UK (latest stats)

There are 853 thousand Polish citizens living in the UK as at 2014. They represent the largest national group among those without a British passport, according to yesterday’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) report. Citizens of India (365 thous.) and Ireland (331 thous.) are the other two largest groups.

According to the report, there are more Polish women than men (respectively 439 thousand and 415 thousand). Polish citizens constitute the largest community of foreigners in almost all regions of the country, except Northern Ireland. In London alone, there are over 185 thousand, almost 100 thousand more than citizens of the next largest group, the Italians.

As indicated by the ONS data, in 2014, there were 22.1 thousand children born in families where the mother is Polish (12% of the fathers were British) and 16.9 thousand children in families where the father is Polish (2% of the mothers were British). The data does not specify the number of births of children whose parents are both Polish.

The statistics on foreigners are inconclusive because of the historical complications on citizenship for citizens of former British colonies and a vague definition of a “foreigner” – as a person born abroad or having the citizenship of another country.

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According to available data, in terms of the place of birth, Indians would constitute the largest group (people born in India – 793 thousand, compared to 790 thousand born in Poland). The difference in those two rates results from people having a dual nationality, or changing their citizenship, and from an increase in the number of people born in exile.

In 1951, Britain was inhabited by 152 thousand Poles who left their home country during or after the end of World War II. In 2001 there were only 58 thousand – many Polish people died or returned to Poland. Since 2004 Poles have been in first place, as the largest group of immigrants every year.



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