Yorkshire is becoming more ethnically diverse, with fewer people following religion, Census figures reveal.
Of the 5.3 million residents in the region in 2011, 85.8 per cent described themselves as white British including 81.8 per cent in Leeds and 92.8 per cent in Wakefield, falling to 63.9 per cent in Bradford which had the highest proportion in England and Wales of those describing themselves as Asian/Asian British:Pakistani – at 20 per cent.
There were 465,000 foreign-born residents in the region in total, nine per cent of the population. Some 89.1 per cent said they were born in England, followed by 1.6 per cent in Pakistan, 1.3 per cent in Scotland and 0.9 per cent in Poland.
The median age of the region was 39 but this ranged from 34 in Bradford and 35 in Leeds to 47 in Craven and Ryedale in North Yorkshire.
Figures showed 19 per cent of people had day-to-day activities limited by a long-term health problem or disability.
There were 550,000 people giving unpaid care for disabled, sick or elderly relatives in Yorkshire, up six per cent in a decade.
Numbers rose by two per cent in Leeds to 71,598 compared with a 15 per cent rise in North Yorkshire.
Overall, 64.1 per cent of people owned a house or had a mortgage in Yorkshire, falling to 58.2 per cent in Leeds. The highest rate in the region was in Selby with 75 per cent of houses owner occupied.
There was a decrease in the region of 14 per cent in the number of people stating their religious affliliation as Christian compared to 2001.
Some 28.2 per cent of people in Leeds said they had no religion.
Overall 55.9 per cent of people from the city said they were Christian, 5.4 per cent were Muslim, 1.2 per cent Sikh, and 0.9 per cent Hindu and 0.9 per cent Jewish.
Some 2,812 people in Leeds said they were Jedi Knights and 79 said their religion was heavy metal.
Census director Guy Goodwin said: “These statistics paint a picture of society and help us all plan for the future using accurate information at a local level.”
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