Ethnicity

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Waltham Forest is one of the most ethnically diverse local authorities in England. Based on the 2021 Census, around 64% of the population are from ethnic groups other than White British or Irish, compared to 61% in London and 26% across England. This includes 20% of population who are identifying as Asian or Asian British; 15% Black or Black British; 7% from Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups; 19% from Other White and 6% from any other ethnic group.

Source: Office for National Statistics – Census 2021. Date accessed: 09/03/2023.

Out of the 19 available options for describing their ethnic group, most of Waltham Forest’s population come from the following groups: White British (34%); Other White (17%); Pakistani (10%); Black African (7%); and Black Caribbean (6%).

Table 1. Population by ethnic group in Waltham Forest, 2021 Census

Ethnic group	Ethnic subgroup	Count	Percentage
Asian or Asian British	Bangladeshi	5,200	2%
	Chinese	2,600	1%
	Indian	9,100	3%
	Pakistani	28,700	10%
	Other Asian	9,900	4%
Black or Black British	African	18,800	7%
	Caribbean	17,600	6%
	Other Black	5,300	1%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups	White and Asian	3,900	1%
	White and Black African	2,800	1%
	White and Black Caribbean	5,100	2%
	Other Mixed	6,200	2%
White	British	94,000	34%
	Irish	4,200	2%
	Gypsy or Irish Traveller	200	0%
	Roma	1,400	1%
	Other White	46,400	17%

Source: Office for National Statistics – Census 2021. Date accessed: 09/03/2023.