Diversity and migration
Barnet’s diverse community
Barnet is diverse in terms of ethnicity and faith, and experiences a high population turnover, with people leaving and new people arriving all the time, including new immigrants.
The 2001 Census gave a detailed picture of the ethnic and religious make-up of the borough 
(PDF 102KB) and found that 26% of residents belong to an ethnic minority group.
The Greater London Authority has since calculated ethnic group population projections (PDF 715KB) (external website): for more recent years and those for 2008 show that now 32% of Barnet’s residents belong to an ethnic minority group.
We have taken the GLA proportions and applied them to the 2008 ONS population figure for Barnet’s total population - 334,600 - to create what we think is the most accurate overall view of the current ethnic composition of the borough, as shown in the table below.
Barnet's ethnic composition, 2008
| Ethnic group | 2008 population | % |
|---|---|---|
| White | 228,250 | 68% |
| Indian | 31,150 | 9% |
| Other | 20,150 | 6% |
| Black African | 18,200 | 5% |
| Chinese | 8,600 | 3% |
| Other Asian | 11,000 | 3% |
| Black Other | 6,050 | 2% |
| Pakistani | 5,400 | 2% |
| Black Caribbean | 4,050 | 1% |
| Bangladeshi | 1,750 | <1% |
| All Ethnicities | 334,600 | 100% |
Source: Barnet Council Business Intelligence team, GLA (PLP Low) breakdowns applied to ONS population projections supplied by the Subnational Population Projections Unit, ONS: Crown Copyright. (Figures are rounded to nearest 50.)
Migration into Barnet from abroad
The Office of National Statistics estimates the numbers of people immigrating into the borough and those leaving for overseas. This is based on a national survey, the International Passenger Survey. In Barnet in 2006/7 international in-flows (6,500) were largely balanced by the outflows of residents overseas (5,750) according to this data source.
National Insurance number registration data
National Insurance Number (NINo) registration data is published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics and research section (external website). This provides a spreadsheet on National Insurance number registrations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK 
(Excel 484 KB) with breakdowns by nationality and local authority. It tells us the nationality of adults from abroad who have been granted a National Insurance number to allow them to work in Britain. Immigrants who do not choose to register for work, and children, are not included. The disadvantage of the NINo data is that it does not record when people arrive in or leave an area, but we can assume that most people register shortly after arrival.
More detail is provided in Analysis of National Insurance registration data and trends (PDF 72 KB)
The table below shows that in 2007/8 the largest numbers registering were of Polish nationality.
| Nationality | Numbers registering in Barnet |
|---|---|
| Poland | 2,080 |
| Romania | 1,580 |
| India | 560 |
| Slovak Rep | 510 |
| Hungary | 430 |
| Bulgaria | 370 |
| France | 290 |
| Australia | 290 |
| Nigeria | 260 |
| Italy | 250 |
| Philippines | 230 |
| South Africa | 220 |
| China | 220 |
| Germany | 200 |
| Total | 11,510 |
Source: NINo registrations, DWP. (Nationalities with at least 200 registrants)
Those nationalities with at least 1,000 registrants over the past six years are listed below (many of whom will have since left the borough)
| Nationality | NINo registrants |
|---|---|
| Poland | 7,480 |
| India | 2,770 |
| Romania | 2,230 |
| Slovak Rep. | 2,140 |
| South Africa | 1,810 |
| Australia | 1,630 |
| Nigeria | 1,300 |
| Hungary | 1,220 |
| France | 1,110 |
| Iran | 1,080 |
| Italy | 1,050 |
| Bulgaria | 1,030 |
| Pakistan | 1,020 |
| Philippines | 1,000 |
| Total | 48,630 |
Source: NINo registrations, DWP. (Nationalities with at least 1,000 registrants)
Email this pageLast modified by: Peter Keeble on 11/02/2009