Low income and ethnicity in London
Key points
- There is a higher proportion of London's Bangladeshi and Pakistani population living in low-income households than any other ethnic group.
- The proportions of low-income households have come down for all ethnic groups in the last decade.
- 40% of people from BME backgrounds in London live in low-income households, compared to 20% of the White population.
The proportion of the population in London in low income by ethnic group, over time
What does this graph show?
The graph illustrates how a higher proportion of London's Bangladeshi and Pakistani population live in low-income households than any other ethnic group. About three fifths live in a low-income household, slightly lower than ten years ago.
About half the Black African population live in low-income households, a higher figure than for the Black Caribbean population (about one-third).
There is little difference between the proportion of the Indian population and the White population who live in low-income households. For both groups, between one in four and one in five people live in a low-income household.
All these proportions have come down in the last decade, with the Indian population seeing the largest relative decrease (from about 31% to 23%) and the Black African group the largest absolute reduction ( around 12 percentage points).
The reduction in poverty risk among the Bangladeshi and Pakistani group is relatively low, at around 5 percentage points.
20% of the White population live in low-income households, compared to 40% of people from BME backgrounds. This is very similar in the rest of England.
Combined with the indicator on low income and ethnicity by region, these graphs show how the high poverty rate among people from backgrounds other than White British combines with the diverse nature of London's population to give the capital a very different pattern of poverty to the rest of the country.
Data used
Households Below Average Income 2005/06 – 2007/08
Indicator last updated: 21 April 2010
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Other indicators in Working-age adults
- Poverty in Inner and Outer London
- Working-age out-of-work benefits by region
- Working age out-of-work benefits within London
- Income inequality in London compared with other English regions
- Income inequalities within London boroughs
- Pay inequalities within London
- Working-age adults lacking work over time
- Working-age adults lacking work by borough
- Adult ill health
- Adult ill-health by borough
- Low-paid residents by borough
- Low-paid jobs by borough
- Lacking work by ethnicity
- Not working by country of birth
- Not working by ethnicity and country of birth
- Low pay by ethnicity
- Premature death by borough
- Low-paid residents by region
- Low-paid jobs by sub-region
- Families receiving in-work benefits
- Working age out-of-work benefits by borough
- Unemployment rates over time
- Unemployment numbers by sub-region
- Unemployment by ethnicity, country of birth and gender
- Unemployment in London by age
- Part-time work
- Job Seeker's Allowance by region
- Job Seeker's Allowance by borough
- Child, adult and pensioner poverty
- London's low income population
- Child and adult poverty and work
- Recession impact on out-of-work benefits
- Young adult unemployment over time