Walsall

West Midlands · England
-45.6pp WBI 67.4% → 21.8% by 2051 (20-group HP, Census-direct, SNPP-constrained)
284,126 Population (2021 Census)
67.4% White British (2021)
38.0% White British (2041 projected)
21.8% White British (2051 projected)

Ethnic composition

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

white british 67.4%
white other 3.9%
asian 18.7%
black 4.6%
mixed 3.3%
other 2.1%

Projected 2051

white british 21.8%
white other 17.1%
asian 16.3%
black 27.0%
mixed 4.0%
other 13.8%

What's driving change?

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

-9.5pp Total WBI change
-6.4pp National effect
+0.2pp Structural effect
-3.4pp Local effect

Diversity index

diverse Shannon entropy: 0.58 · Dissimilarity: 11.1

Religion

Census 2021 religious composition with projections.

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

Muslim population projected: 17.0% by 2051

Country of birth

UK-born (2021) 85.2%
Foreign-born (2021) 14.8%
Foreign-born (2051 projected) 44.5%

English proficiency

mainLanguageEnglishPct 90.2%
notEnglishPct 19.5%
cannotSpeakEnglishPct 0.0%

Service demand pressure

63/100 Moderate Pressure Rank 28 of 320
Ethnic change20/20
Asylum12/20
School17/20
Language0/20
Housing15/20

Economic profile

Avg employment rate44.5%
Avg home ownership45.1%
Avg social rent18.4%
Degree or above18.4%
No qualifications20%

Housing demand projection

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

Ownership (2021)45.1%
Social rent (2021)18.4%
Private rent (2021)13.3%
Ownership (2041)34%
Social rent (2041)14.6%
Social rent change-3.8pp

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

School demographics

DfE School Census 2024/25. 53,868 pupils.

WBI pupils50.7%
Minority pupils49.3%
EAL growth (projected)+16.7pp
WBI gap (school vs population)16.7pp

Schools are 17pp more diverse than the general population — schools show the future.

English proficiency

mainLanguageEnglishPct 90.2%
notEnglishPct 19.5%
cannotSpeakEnglishPct 0.0%
Projected non-English growth+29.4pp

Interpreter demand is manageable at current levels.

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