Cohesion Over Headcounts: The Real Question Is How We Live Together
Focus: residents born outside the UK. References and statistics included.
The Core Idea
The health of a community isn’t decided by how many newcomers arrive, but by how people living here take part in civic and cultural life. This article looks only at residents born outside the United Kingdom — excluding British-born people entirely — to explore integration, participation, and cohesion.
The Numbers (non-UK-born only)
- Foreign-born population: In 2021, there were 10.0 million residents in England and Wales born outside the UK — 16.8% of all usual residents. In 2011, that figure was 7.5 million (13.4%). Source: ONS Census 2021
- English proficiency: 90% of migrants in England and Wales said they spoke English “well” or “very well.” Source: Migration Observatory
- Top countries of birth: India, Poland, Pakistan, Romania, and Ireland accounted for roughly 32% of the foreign-born population in 2021. Source: Migration Observatory
- Net migration trend: Net migration to the UK nearly halved to about 431,000 in 2024, after new visa restrictions. Source: Financial Times, 2025
What Cohesion Actually Means
Research consistently shows that integration has less to do with raw numbers and more to do with language, trust, and participation. The UK Home Office’s Indicators of Integration Framework (2019) highlights employment, education, housing, and social contact as the core drivers of cohesion.
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