Demographics of Cumbria

The British county of Cumbria is located in North West England and has a population of 496,200 (making it the 41st most populated county in England). However with an area of 6,768 km² it is England's 3rd largest county, with only 73 per km², it is the country's second least densley populated county. People from Cumbria are known as Cumbrians and they speak a variety of the Cumbrian dialect to the north, whilst a Lancashire accent is more prominent in the South (namely Furness, which was once part of Lancashire). Along with Lancashire to the south, Cumbria is bordered with Scotland to the north, the Irish Sea to the west, Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east and North Yorkshire to the south-east.

ettlements

Carlisle is the largest and only city in the county, whilst Barrow-in-Furness (the largest town) is between 2 and 3 times larger than the second largest town (Kendal).

The twenty most populated settlements in Cumbria are listed below [ [http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/536/673/1758/39349172028.xls Cumbria's Population in Urban Areas 2006] , Cumbria County Council, Accessed 18-12-2007 ]

Black

People of Sub-Saharan descent (i.e. Black Britons) are one of the county's smallest ethnic groups, with around 0.2% of Cumbrian's suiting this term (around 990 people) - UK average is around 3.0%. Cumbria's black community is increasing by around 20% per annum (See above), making them one of the county's fastest growing ethnic groups. The vast majority of Cumbria's Afro-Caribbean community reside in the largest towns, and Black Africans now make up a larger percentage than Black Caribbeans. The percentage of Black people for each of the county's six districts is as follows: Barrow-in-Furness 0.5%, Carlisle 0.4%, South Lakeland 0.4%, Allerdale 0.3%, Copeland 0.2%, Eden 0.2%.

Chinese

The Chinese once made up the largest ethnic minority group in Cumbria, however have been taken over by some South Asian and Eastern European ethnicities. Despite this there is still a 1,000 strong Chinese community in the county (roughly 0.2% of Cumbria’s population – double the 2001 population) - UK average is around 0.5%. Unlike the South Asian groups, the Chinese are very widely dispersed across the county. The percentage of Chinese people for each of Cumbria’s six districts is as follows: South Lakeland 0.5%, Carlisle 0.3%, Copeland 0.3%, Allerdale 0.3%, Eden 0.3%, Barrow-in-Furness 0.2%.

Immigrant White

1.7% of Cumbria's population (8,435) comes under the Other White category - UK average is around 8%, meaning white people with ancestry outside of the UK. A large portion of these are people originating from the Republic of Ireland (around 0.5%), as people originating from Northern Ireland (of which there are more) come under the term White British. Southern Europeans have a strong presence along Cumbria's Western Coast, with the towns of Whitehaven and Workington having significant Italian and Spanish communities. Carlisle to the north is estimated to be home to over 1,600 Poles, as well as countless other Eastern European immigrants. Barrow-in-Furness is home to hundreds of Germans, Canadians, Poles and Former Yugoslavs, as well as the UK's most significant Kosovar community. Kendal being in a prime location has recently attracted many Eastern European immigrants, as well as many migrants of any race being attracted to work in the Lake District. The percentage of Other White people for each of the county's six districts is as follows: South Lakeland 2.9%, Carlisle 2.1%, Eden 2.0%, Barrow-in-Furness 1.9%, Allerdale 1.7%, Copeland 1.7%.

Indigenous White

According to estimates for 2008, White British people constitute for the largest ethnic group by far in the county at 96.7% (or 479,825 of the county's 496,200 citizens) - UK average was 85.67% in 2001. The largest percentage of White British people are in the rural regions of the county, and to some extent the districts of Carlisle and Eden to the North. Cumbria has long been considered a 100% white county, being isolated in the northern most part of England, however the Southern most parts of the county in particular have seen a huge increase in the number of non-indigenous peoples. Every district of Cumbria has a faster than nationwide average of ethnic minority growth. In some cases the larger towns are sseing a greater increase in immigrants than the UK's largest cities. The percentage of White British people for each of the county's six districts is as follows: Allerdale 96.5%, Copeland 96.2%, Eden 96.1%, Carlisle 95.5%, Barrow-in-Furness 95.3%, South Lakeland 94.4%. According to the 2001 UK Census, 16,628 people were born in Scotland, representing 3.4% of the county's population, 3,471 were born in Wales and 2,289 in Northern Ireland.

Multiracial

People belonging to two or more races Multiracial make up 0.5% of the county's population (some 2,480 people) - UK average is around 1.4% Mixed Race. The spread of people of mixed race in Cumbria is more or less equal. The percentage of Mixed Race people for each of the county's six districts is as follows: South Lakeland 0.7%, Barrow-in-Furness 0.6%, Carlisle 0.6%, Copeland 0.6%, Allerdale 0.5%, Eden 0.5%.

Other

People not belonging to any of the above ethnic groups constitute for 0.1% of Cumbria’s population (roughly 500 people) - UK average is around 0.4%. An overwhealming majority of these people live in Barrow-in-Furness, over 0.5% of the town’s population (360 people) belong to this ethnic group. This is mainly due to the town’s significant Latin American, Filipino, Thai and Arab communities, which help make it by far the county’s most ethnically diverse location. The percentage of 'Other' people for each of the county's six districts is as follows: Barrow-in-Furness 0.5%, Carlisle 0.2%, South Lakeland 0.2%, Allerdale 0.1%, Copeland 0.1%, Eden 0.1%.

outh Asian

The Cumbrian South Asian community has increased dramatically since 2001, and now stand at 0.6% of the population (around 3,000) - UK average is around 5%, the largest sub groups of this are Indians and Pakistanis, with Bangladeshis and Other South Asians mainly residing in Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness, Kendal and Whitehaven, Carlisle attracts the largest number of South Asian immigrants, with the city having Cumbria's largest population of South Asian born people, although Barrow ranks the same percentage wise. The percentage of South Asian people for each of Cumbria’s six districts is as follows: Barrow-in-Furness 1.0%, Carlisle 1.0%, South Lakeland 0.9%, Copeland 0.9%, Eden 0.8%, Allerdale 0.6%.

Religion

The information below is based on 2001 UK Census findings. [ [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/16.asp Census 2001 - Profiles - Cumbria ] ]

Christianity

Christianity is by far the largest religion in Cumbria, with 400,578 Cumbrian's identifying themselves as Christians in the 2001 UK Census. This represents 80.7% of the county's population. However, like with the majority of the rest of the UK, Cumbria's Christian population has thought to have decreased dramatically since 2001, with recent surveys showing that only 53% of the country's population described themselves as Christian. For the Church of England (Anglican), most of Cumbria is in the Anglican Diocese of Carlisle. For Roman Catholics, Cumbria forms part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster.

Buddhism

Cumbria is likely to be the only county in the United Kingdom where Buddhists constitute the second largest religion, where most areas of the country have Islam as the second largest religion. Some 810 Buddhists resided in Cumbria in 2001 (0.2% of the county's population). The largest buddhist centres and temples can be found in Ulverston near Barrow-in-Furness and Carlisle, where hundreds of Buddhists live in the Manjushri Kadampa Centre and Uma Buddhist Centre respectively.

Islam

Islam unlike most areas of the UK is not the second most common religion, however third. In 2001, 747 people followed the religion (almost 0.2% of Cumbria's population), with the largest consentration of Muslims being found in Carlisle, Barrow and Kendal. However, considering the increase in the population of Cumbria's Asian community (especially with Pakistanis), these figures are more than likely to be substantially out of date. Currently Cumbria isn't home to a mosque.

List of Districts

By Population

* Carlisle - 105,200
* South Lakeland - 102,900
* Allerdale - 96,300
* Barrow-in-Furness - 71,980
* Copeland - 71,500
* Eden - 52,800

By Area

* Eden - 2,156.45 km²
* Allerdale - 1,553.39 km²
* South Lakeland - 1,257.79 km²
* Carlisle - 1,039.97 km²
* Copeland - 737.59 km²
* Barrow-in-Furness - 77.87 km²

By Population Density

* Barrow-in-Furness - 924 / km²
* Carlisle - 101 / km²
* Copeland - 97 / km²
* Allerdale - 77 / km²
* South Lakeland - 66 / km²
* Eden - 24 / km²

By Ethnic Diversity

* Barrow-in-Furness - 2.8% Non-White
* South Lakeland - 2.7% Non-White
* Carlisle - 2.4% Non-White
* Copeland - 2.1% Non-White
* Eden - 1.9% Non-White
* Allerdale - 1.6% Non-White

ee also

*Cumbria
*Demographics of the United Kingdom
*Demographics of Barrow-in-Furness

References