Telegraph
May 7, 2014
Almost one in three people in Britain will be from an ethnic minority within a generation, a report suggests.
Non-white people will make up between 20 and 30 per cent of the population by 2050, Policy Exchange says. The current share is around 14 per cent.
The report could also raise questions about the future of the English national identity, which it found is primarily adopted by white people. The think tank, which has close links to the Conservative Party leadership, also highlights differences in the political leanings of different ethnic groups, advising politicians not to treat minority voters as a bloc.
The expected growth in the non-white population is largely attributed to a higher birth rate among ethnic minority Britons. A quarter of children aged under 10 in the UK are from ethnic minorities. By contrast, 95 per cent of people aged over 60 are white.
The average British Bangladeshi is 22 years old. Among white Britons, the median age is 39, states the report, published on Tuesday.
Over the past decade, the white population has remained roughly the same while the minority population has almost doubled, accounting for 80 per cent of population growth, it adds.
It also highlights clear ethnic differences regarding British and English national identities. While non-white people are keen to call themselves British, the English identity is largely the preserve of white people, the report suggests.