Cambridge

East of England · England
-30.2pp WBI 53.0% → 22.8% by 2051 (20-group HP, Census-direct, SNPP-constrained)
145,674 Population (2021 Census)
53.0% White British (2021)
31.4% White British (2041 projected)
22.8% White British (2051 projected)

Ethnic composition

Census 2021 observed data with Hamilton-Perry projections to 2061.

white british 53.0%
white other 21.5%
asian 14.8%
black 2.5%
mixed 5.1%
other 3.1%

Projected 2051

white british 22.8%
white other 27.1%
asian 20.6%
black 3.4%
mixed 15.8%
other 10.3%

What's driving change?

Shift-share decomposes demographic change into national trend, structural composition, and local factors. Dominant driver: local migration.

-13.0pp Total WBI change
-6.4pp National effect
+1.1pp Structural effect
-7.8pp Local effect

Diversity index

highly diverse Shannon entropy: 0.73 · Dissimilarity: 24.3

Religion

Census 2021 religious composition with projections.

2021 [object Object]
2031 [object Object]
2041 [object Object]
2051 [object Object]

Country of birth

UK-born (2021) 62.0%
Foreign-born (2021) 38.0%
Foreign-born (2051 projected) 73.9%

English proficiency

mainLanguageEnglishPct 80.0%
notEnglishPct 40.0%
cannotSpeakEnglishPct 0.0%

Service demand pressure

38/100 Low Pressure Rank 161 of 320
Ethnic change20/20
Asylum0/20
School0/20
Language0/20
Housing18/20

Economic profile

Avg employment rate49.8%
Avg home ownership36.6%
Avg social rent18.3%
Degree or above46.7%
No qualifications7.8%

Housing demand projection

Census 2021 tenure patterns by ethnicity, projected to 2041 from demographic composition change.

Ownership (2021)36.6%
Social rent (2021)18.3%
Private rent (2021)27.9%
Ownership (2041)30.7%
Social rent (2041)16%
Social rent change-2.3pp

High foreign-born population growth will drive additional housing demand, particularly in the private rented sector.

English proficiency

mainLanguageEnglishPct 80.0%
notEnglishPct 40.0%
cannotSpeakEnglishPct 0.0%
Projected non-English growth+21.5pp

NHS and council services will need increased interpreter/translation provision.

Updated 14 Apr 2026 · Census 2021, ONS SNPP, DfE School Census