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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 June 2025
In 1921 Britain had a sizeable immigrant population. It consisted of over 311,000 persons in England and Wales (0.8 per cent of the total population there of almost 38 million) and over 24,000 in Scotland (0.5 per cent of the total Scottish population of almost 5 million). The total foreign-born population of Britain had declined from just over 409,000 in 1911. If people born in Ireland are included, about 750,000 residents of England and Wales in 1921 were born abroad, forming 2 per cent of the total population – figures that rose to over 1 million (2.7 per cent) in 1931 and got close to 2 million (4.3 per cent) in 1951. The total number of foreigners would be significantly higher if it included visitors, sailors present in British ports, soldiers stationed in Britain and transmigrants passing through the country. Descendants of immigrants born in Britain were also numerous.
The immigrants arrived in Britain through different movements from a variety of countries. In 1911 and 1921 the largest group of foreign-born people in Britain was made up by individuals from Russia, Poland and the Baltic states, in total 110,000 in 1921. The second largest group in 1911 was from Germany – over 55,000 – but it fell to 22,000 in 1921. The number of Germans in Britain and people from Austria that had in 1938 become part of Germany rose again to 70,000 on the eve of the Second World War. Other sizeable groups came from the USA, France and Italy – each 40,000 before 1945 (from, respectively, 39,000, 34,000 and 26,000 in 1921). The US figure increased with American GIs in Britain after the Second World War. Throughout the period between 1921 and 1948 people from many other countries lived in Britain. For example, in 1921, just over 4,500 persons born in China were in Britain, increasing to over 12,500 in 1951, three years after the foundation of the People's Republic of China and the end of the Chinese Civil War, which had caused some Chinese refugees to flee to Britain, often via Hong Kong and Malaysia.
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