CouncilEthnicity
- Over half of Tower Hamlets’ population are from non-White British ethnic groups
- A third are Bangladeshi, of whom half are under 20 years old
- 60% of the White British population are over 30
At the time of the 2001 census 58% of the population in Tower Hamlets belonged to an ethnic group other than White British. A third or 33% of the population were Bangladeshi, 7% came from African/Caribbean backgrounds and the total White British population was 42%.
Click here to view the ethnicity in Tower Hamlets chart (PDF 14k)
Population by age groups as well as by gender in Tower Hamlets largely reflects population dynamics within the Bangladeshi community. The 2001 census records 153,893 people of Bangladeshi origin living in London and almost four fifths of these live in Tower Hamlets. Bangladeshis are more likely to have large families. For London as a whole the percentage of Bangladeshi households with two or more dependent children is 57% which is more than three times the London average of 17% households. Only 8% of Bangladeshi households are single person households.
These factors have contributed significantly to the large numbers of children in Tower Hamlets compared to the rest of London. The number of Bangladeshis aged under 18 is almost double the proportion for all Londoners. It is indicative of a fairly new migrant community, that there are high fertility rates and consequently a high percentage of people that are in young age groups. Most Bangladeshi children in London were born in the UK, while most adults were born in Bangladesh.
By age category there are also significant differences in the numbers of males to females in the Bangladeshi community. There are more women than there are men in age groups 15 to 29, and this is to a much greater degree than the population as a whole. This means there will also be more older women than men in future.
Age profiles for the two major ethnic communities in Tower Hamlets, White British and Bangladeshi communities are significantly different. The White British community profile is the oldest with 40% below the age of 30,12.5% are between 0 and 15, 3% are between 16 and 19 and fertility rates are lower. 70% of the Bangladeshi community are below the age of 30. 40% of these are between 0 and 15 and 9% are between 16 and 19.
