Ethnic segregation in England and Wales on the wane, research finds

The analysis describes cities such as London (pictured), Birmingham and Manchester as ethnically diverse, and home to many ethnic groups rather than single dominant communities. Photograph: Cate Gillon/Getty Images

Ethnic segregation in England and Wales is on the wane as more people live alongside neighbours of different backgrounds, creating “rainbow” towns and cities, research reveals.

Neighbourhood diversity more than doubled nationally between 2001 and 2021, with huge transformations in some places. There was close to a tenfold increase in diversity in Boston, Lincolnshire, albeit from a low base; Barking and Dagenham recorded a ninefold increase, while diversity in Watford and Reading increased fourfold.