Census 2021: hundreds more Romanians living in Hucknall area over last decade
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It comes as the new figures show the number of Romanians living in the UK has increased sixfold since 2011, the largest increase from any other country.
But Oxford University’s Migration Observatory said many EU citizens may have left the UK by March 2021, following the end of the EU settlement scheme.
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Hide AdThe 2021 census figures from the Office for National Statistics show 633 people born in Romania resided in Ashfield at the end of March 2021 – up significantly from 28 in 2011, when the last census was conducted.
England and Wales have seen a surge in Romanian arrivals over the last decade with 539,000 Romanians now resident across the countries, more than six times the 80,000 in 2011.
Jon Wroth-Smith, Census deputy director, said the latest figures reflect a decade of change, with the UK leaving the EU and the coronavirus pandemic impacting migration.
As roughly one in six people in England and Wales are now born outside the UK, he said: “Romanians have been a big driver in this change, while there have also been increases due to migration from India, Pakistan and Poland, as well as southern European countries such as Italy.
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Hide Ad“We can also see migration in the year prior to the census was lower in 2021 than 2011.”
Romania joined the European Union in 2007, but citizens were not afforded full freedom of movement until 2014.
Madeleine Sumption, Migration Observatory director, said: “Official estimates appear to have been reasonably accurate overall, but did undercount Romanians. This may be because Romanian migrants were more likely to live in types of accommodation not surveyed, or because Romanian citizens were less likely to respond.”
The number of residents across England and Wales born outside of the UK also increased, from 7.5 million, 13.4 per cent, in 2011 to 10m, 16.8 per cent, last year.
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Hide AdIn Ashfield, 7,213 people, 5.7 per cent, were born in another country – up from 3 per cent 10 years earlier.
Romanian citizens are now the fourth-most populous foreign-born group across England and Wales, behind India, Poland and Pakistan.