White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller is an ethnicity classification used in the 2011 United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller population was 63,193 or about 0.1 percent of the total population of the country. The ethnicity category may encompass populace from the distinct ethnic groups of Romanichal Travellers or Irish Travellers, and their respective related subgroupings, who identify as, or are perceived to be, white people in the United Kingdom.
Within Britain, England and Wales statistics designate the category as the article describes. The Scottish census lists the category, in a slightly different form, as 'White: Gypsy/Traveller'.
In Northern Ireland, where only the term 'White' is used in ethnic classification, 'Irish Traveller' is listed as a separate "ethnic group" to 'White'. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, however, does treat 'Irish Traveller' as a subgroup of 'White' in census data analysis.
Census classifications
Along with 'Arab', the category of 'White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller' was introduced at the 2011 census.Population and distribution
The National Institute for Health Research estimated that there were 54,895 people in the "White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller" group in England, although this was clarified as a likely underestimation. The Welsh Government has identified 2,785 of the group living in Wales. In England and Wales together, this has been recorded at 57,680.In 2006, according to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, there were between 300,000 and 400,000 estimated to be in the 'White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller' grouping, which is around, at least, 250,000 more than was recorded at the 2011 census.
2011 census data in England and Wales showed that the highest population by local district proportion was in Basildon, Essex; Ashford, Kent; Maidstone, Kent; Swale, Kent; and Fenland, Cambridgeshire – in all of these forming 0.5% of the populations each. By county, Kent has the highest population, while by region, South East England has the highest. Other counties with significant populations are Surrey, Essex and Hampshire. London has the second highest population by region, with 8,196 of the group born here. This is closely followed by the East of England, numbering 8,165.
The Scottish Government has listed around 4,000 people living in Scotland of the "ethnic group" category of ‘White: Gypsy/Traveller’. The specific number provided by the National Records of Scotland for the 2011 census was 4,200. The organisation also has suggested that this is a significant undercounting, with estimates of up to 20,000 of the group being resident in Scotland. The highest density of the group were resident in the council areas: Perth & Kinross, Glasgow City and City of Edinburgh.