Norfolk population

People may describe their ethnic group based on their:

• Culture
• Family background
• Identity
• Physical appearance

The 2021 census reports the percentage of people from each, broad ethnic group in Norfolk:

• 2.1% of the population are Asian, Asian British, Asian Welsh
• 0.9% of the population are Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean, African
• 1.6% of the population are multiple or mixed ethic groups
• 0.7% of the population are other ethnic groups
• 94.7% of the population are White

International health and social care staff

The difficulties that the adult social care sector is facing in the recruitment and retention of staff has resulted in more staff being recruited internationally.

The main countries from which staff are currently being recruited from are:

• Nepal
• India
• Sri Lanka
• Kenya
• Malaysia
• Philippines

Support for international staff

It is essential that there is the right support infrastructure in place to ensure that the experiences of people coming to Norfolk from other countries is good. The recent funding allocated to the East of England to support international recruitment will support key initiatives.

Learn more about these initiatives and how we support international staff on the virtual centre of excellence supporting international recruitment webpage

Language

Language is a key defining characteristic of people's identity.

Data on the main languages spoken in an area facilitates the provision of public services. For example, to help identify the need for translation and  interpretation for providing English language lessons.

The 2021 census reports 95% of the Norfolk population confirmed that English was their main spoken language. The proficiency in English for those whom English is not their main language in Norfolk is:

• 2.1% can speak English very well
• 1.9% can speak English well
• 0.9% can't speak English well
• 0.1% can't speak English