London is one of the most diverse cities in the world, with more than 300 languages spoken every day. West London has the highest proportion (53%) of its population that is black and of ethnic minorities, and 47% was not born in the United Kingdom. Just over two out of five people belong to an ethnic minority. But that doesn't mean that when you walk down any street in London, two out of five people you cross paths with are BAME.
Districts like Westminister or Camden are much more diverse than Bexley or Brent. At the outbreak of World War II, 8,615,245 people were living in London, although by then it had just lost its status as the largest city in the world to New York. However, a population boom occurred in the 1980s, and increased prosperity, combined with increased immigration, once again translated into an increase in population. According to census records, the number of people living in London increased more than fivefold, from 959,300 in 1801 to 5,572,012 in 1891. Although not a country in itself, London is the largest city in the United Kingdom and represents 13% of the total population of the United Kingdom.
The history of London's diversity and how those who were already living in London adapted and the exchange of cultural and social capital that Londoners have acquired but may not be aware of. When the 1981 census was conducted, the number of people living in London had fallen to just 6,607,513, representing a decline of more than two million, or about 25%, in just four decades. Of all the local authorities, Newham, in London, was the most ethnically diverse, with people from Asian, black, mixed-race and “other” ethnic groups representing 69.2% of the population. Perhaps the most surprising figure from 2001 is that one in five people from the UK's minority population lived in just over one percent of the constituencies. More white people lived in the South East than anywhere else, and more people from black, Asian, mixed-race and “other” ethnic groups lived in London than anywhere else. Ethnic minorities represent more than 30 percent of the population in Bradford and Blackburn, for example, but more than half of the neighborhoods in both places are still white at more than 85 percent.
This is particularly evident in the north of England, where only one neighborhood with a mostly non-white population, hidden away in Yorkshire, is less disadvantaged than the national average. Of the 10 local authorities where whites constituted the largest percentage of the population, 3 were in the North West, 2 in Yorkshire and the Humber and 2 in the South West. London is a city full of diversity and culture that has been shaped by its inhabitants throughout history. It is important to recognize this diversity and understand how it has impacted our society today.
