Demographics of Cumbria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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[edit] Settlements
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 [1]
| Rank | Town | Population | District |
| 1 | Carlisle | 69,527 | Carlisle |
| 2 | Barrow-in-Furness | 59,182 | Barrow-in-Furness |
| 3 | Kendal | 28,398 | South Lakeland |
| 4 | Whitehaven | 23,795 | Copeland |
| 5 | Workington | 23,685 | Allerdale |
| 6 | Penrith | 14,882 | Eden |
| 7 | Maryport | 12,087 | Allerdale |
| 8 | Ulverston | 11,670 | South Lakeland |
| 9 | Dalton-in-Furness with Newton | 8, 470 | Barrow-in-Furness |
| 10 | Bowness-on-Windermere with Windermere | 8,432 | South Lakeland |
| 11 | Cockermouth | 8,225 | Allerdale |
| 12 | Egremont | 8,005 | Copeland |
| 13 | Millom | 7,024 | Copleand |
| 14 | Cleator Moor | 6,999 | Copeland |
| 15 | Dalston | 6,059 | Carlisle |
| 16 | Wigton | 5,591 | Copleand |
| 17 | Keswick | 5,257 | Allerdale |
| 18 | Brampton | 4,363 | Carlisle |
| 19 | Grange-over-Sands | 4,098 | South Lakeland |
| 20 | Distington | 3,992 | Allerdale |
[edit] Density
Cumbria as a whole is the second least densely populated county in England with only 73 people per square kilometre. Despite it being the third largest in area (6,768 km²), about a third of the county is taken up by the Lake District National Park. Below is a table listing each district by population density.
| District | Population Density | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow-in-Furness | 924 / km² | 71,980 | 77.87 km² |
| Carlisle | 101 / km² | 105,200 | 1,039.97 km² |
| Copeland | 97 / km² | 71,500 | 737.59 km² |
| Allerdale | 77 / km² | 96,300 | 1,553.39 km² |
| South Lakeland | 66 / km² | 102,900 | 1,257.79 km² |
| Eden | 24 / km² | 52,800 | 2,156.45 km² |
[edit] Ethnic Groups[2]
[edit] Indigenous Whites
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%.
Wards with the largest communities
- Castle (Carlisle), Kirkby Lonsdale, Belah (Carlisle), Rooscote (Barrow), Hindpool (Barrow), Keswick
[edit] Immigrant Whites
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%.
Wards with the largest communities
- Irish
- St Aidans (Carlisle), Dalston (Carlisle), Castle (Carlisle), Hindpool (Barrow), Stanwix (Carlisle)
- Other
- Castle (Carlisle), Central (Barrow), Belah (Carlisle), Stanwix (Carlisle), Keswick
[edit] South Asians
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. 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%.
Wards with the largest communities
- Indians
- Hawcoat (Barrow), Hensingham (Whitehaven), Castle (Carlisle)
- Pakistanis
- Castle (Carlisle), Wampool, Hawcoat (Barrow)
- Bangladeshis
- Stanwix (Carlisle), Harraby (Carlisle), Castle (Carlisle)
- Other South Asians
- Hawcoat (Barrow), Belah (Carlisle), Newbarns (Barrow)
[edit] 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%.
Wards with the largest communities
- Castle (Carlisle), Kirkby Lonsdale, Belah (Carlisle), Rooscote (Barrow), Hindpool (Barrow)
[edit] Multiracials
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%.
Wards with the largest communities
- Newbarns (Barrow), Kendal Fell (Kendal), Parkside (Barrow), Bellah (Carlisle), Castle (Carlisle)
[edit] Blacks
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 below), 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%.
Wards with the largest communities
- Castle (Carlisle), Hensingham (Whitehaven), Hawcoat (Barrow), Keswick, Kirkby Lonsdale
[edit] 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 large and 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%.
Wards with the largest communities
- Castle (Carlisle), Cockermouth, Central (Barrow), All Saints, Currock, Sedbergh
[edit] Increase
Cumbria has previously been considered an almost all-white county, however since the millennium, the county has experienced one of the UK's largest increases in the population of non-indigenous communities. Below is a table noting the percentage change for each respective ethnic group between 2004 and 2005 compared with England as a whole. Although please note that this table does not reflect how many people of each group reside in each district; large percentage increases in such places as Copeland and Eden often mean that a community could have just increased from 30 to 37 [1].
| Ethnic Group | % Change for Cumbria | % Change for England | District with smallest increase | District with largest increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White British | -0.1% | 0.0% | Allerdale -0.4% | Eden 0.1% |
| White Irish | 1.7% | -1.7% | Barrow-in-Furness -0.4% | Eden 6.5% |
| Other White | 12.3% | 7.2% | Copeland 9.1% | Barrow-in-Furness 15.9% |
| White and Black Caribbean | 11.5% | 3.2% | Barrow-in-Furness 9.1% | Eden 16.0% |
| White and Black African | 11.1% | 6.4% | South Lakeland 6.7% | Eden 20.4% |
| White and Asian | 11.0% | 6.0% | Allerdale 9.1% | Copeland 14.9% |
| Other Mixed | 9.3% | 5.6% | South Lakeland 7.7% | Copeland 14.0% |
| Indian | 22.3% | 5.1% | Allerdale 18.7% | Copeland 27.0% |
| Pakistani | 21.2% | 3.8% | Allerdale 16.4% | Copeland 23.6% |
| Bangladeshi | 11.9% | 3.6% | Copeland 6.0% | Eden 23.7% |
| Other Asian | 17.1% | 6.4% | Barrow-in-Furness 8.4% | Copeland 28.4% |
| Black Caribbean | 18.9% | 0.7% | South Lakeland 15.1% | Allerdale 27.1% |
| Black African | 27.4% | 6.1% | Barrow-in-Furness 21.8% | Copeland 32.0% |
| Other Black | 15.4% | 3.2% | Barrow-in-Furness 10.5% | Allerdale 24.5% |
| Chinese | 14.8% | 10.2% | Allerdale 8.2% | South Lakeland 17.8% |
| Other Ethnic Group | 17.8% | 8.2% | Copeland 14.7% | Eden 21.9% |
[edit] Religion
The information below is based on 2001 UK Census findings.[3]
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] List of Districts
[edit] By Population
- Carlisle - 105,200
- South Lakeland - 102,900
- Allerdale - 96,300
- Barrow-in-Furness - 71,980
- Copeland - 71,500
- Eden - 52,800
[edit] 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
[edit] By Population Density
- Barrow-in-Furness - 924 / km²
- Carlisle - 101 / km²
- Copeland - 97 / km²
- Allerdale - 77 / km²
- South Lakeland - 66 / km²
- Eden - 24 / km²
[edit] 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
