Foreign-born Population of The United Kingdom - Countries of Origin

Countries of Origin

The table below lists the places of birth of UK residents according to the 2001 Census, as reported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The table also lists population estimates of the foreign-born population for the top 60 foreign countries of birth in the period January 2010 to December 2010, published by the Office for National Statistics.

In 2001, the five most common foreign countries of birth were the Republic of Ireland, India, Pakistan, Germany and the United States respectively. In 2010, the most common foreign countries of birth were India, Poland (up from 18th in 2001), Pakistan, the Republic of Ireland and Germany respectively. The United States dropped to eighth place behind South Africa and Bangladesh, despite growth in the size of the US-born population.

The period between 2001 and 2010 saw significant change in the UK's foreign-born population. In particular, the 2004 and 2007 enlargements of the European Union have led to mass migration from the likes of Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania, Poland, Slovakia and Lithuania. The number of Polish-born people resident in the UK increased from 60,711 in 2001 to an estimated 532,000 in the year to December 2010, whilst the Lithuanian-born population increased from 4,363 to an estimated 87,000. The most significant decrease in a foreign-born population resident in the UK between 2001 and 2010 is in the number of those originating from the Republic of Ireland. Whereas in 2001, 533,901 people born in the Republic of Ireland were resident in the UK, this is estimated to have declined to 405,000 by 2010.