January 2007 Number 276
ETHNICITY AND HEALTH
Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups generally have
worse health than the overall population, although some
BME groups fare much worse than others, and patterns
vary from one health condition to the next. Evidence
suggests that the poorer socio-economic position of
BME groups is the main factor driving ethnic health
inequalities. Several policies have aimed to tackle
health inequalities in recent years, although to date,
ethnicity has not been a consistent focus. This
POSTnote reviews the evidence on ethnic health
inequalities, the causes and policy options.
Ethnicity
Ethnicity results from many aspects of difference which
are socially and politically important in the UK. These
include race, culture, religion and nationality, which
impact on a person’s identity and how they are seen by
others. People identify with ethnic groups at many
different levels. They may see themselves as British,
Asian, Indian, Punjabi and Glaswegian at different times
and in different circumstances. However, to allow data to
be collected and analysed on a large scale, ethnicity is
often treated as a fixed characteristic. BME groups are
usually classified by the methods used in the UK census,
which asks people to indicate to which of 16 ethnic
groups they feel they belong (Box 1).
Box 1: BME groups in the UK
According to the 2001 census, 92% of the UK population is
White, which includes significant non-British White
minorities such as Irish people. A further 4% of the
population is Asian or Asian British, 2% are Black or Black
British and 1.5% are Mixed. BME populations are
concentrated in urban areas, particularly in deprived areas,
where they make up a much bigger share of the population.
However, the distribution of BME groups in the UK is
currently changing, and they are becoming less
geographically segregated. The UK is likely to become more
multi-ethnic in the future. BME groups now account for 73%
of the UK’s total population growth, due to