Ethnicity and musculoskeletal health: census and consensus

The first release from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 16 July 2012 of the 2011UK census indicates that in the first decade of the twenty-first century the population of England and Wales has risen by 3.7 million (from just over 50 million, an increase of about 7%), and over 50% of this increase consists of migrants. In general, the term ‘migrant’ is associated with recent arrivals in a foreign country. In the UK, migrants who have been in the country for a while, including their descendants, are described as belonging to ethnic minorities. The trajectory for the future suggests that, in 20 years’ time, the total population of England and Wales will have risen to 70 million. It is expected that migrants will account for two-thirds of this increase. In theUKas awhole, approximately 15% of the total population will be of migrant origin, equivalent to about one in six or possibly more. This is considerably higher than the current figure (about 4%) or any projected figures for the European Union (EU).