1 in 6 people in England, Wales born abroad, mostly India: Census

India was found to be the most common country of birth for one in six, or nearly 10 million, people in England and Wales, according to a report released by the UK's Office for National Statistics.

The report, "International Migration, England and Wales: Census 2021", said that 16.8 per cent of residents were born abroad, up from 13.4 per cent a decade earlier.

The number of foreign-born residents increased by 2.5 million over the decade to 10 million.

India was the most common country of origin, accounting for 920,000 people, which is 1.5 per cent of the usual resident population, the 2021 census showed.

The three most common non-UK countries of birth for usual residents in 2021 were India, followed by Poland, which increased to 743,000 (1.2 per cent), up from 579,000 in 2011; and Pakistan, which increased to 624,000 (1 per cent), up from 482,000 in 2011.

The report comes at a time when the UK has been under duress over record number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats and arriving in Britain.

Migration led to a 6.3 per cent rise in the population between 2011 and 2021, the report said.

The figures also showed that 5.9 million people, or 9.9 per cent of the population, held a non-UK passport.

London continued to be the region with the largest proportion of people born outside the UK, rising from 36.7 per cent in 2011 to 40.6 per cent of the city's population.

The figures for Wales and North East England were less than 7 per cent.