Trend
+1Latest quarter change
+9Change across series
37Official data points
Cambridge
Daniel Zeichner
6 MPs cover constituencies in or overlapping Cambridge.
14 people on asylum support in Cambridge
Rank 294 of 361 councils nationally. The rate of 0.93 per 10,000 puts Cambridge in the 18th percentile. That means fewer than most areas. White British projected to be a minority by approximately 2024. 14 of them receive subsistence only and are not in Home Office accommodation. Accommodation and support for 14 people at £107 per person per day is about £0.5M a year.
What asylum costs Cambridge
£316Kestimated hotel costs/year
£36Ksubsistence payments/year
£17KLA dispersal grant/year
Estimates based on 14 people on asylum support in Cambridge(0.02% of 93,293 nationally at 30 Jun 2026). Hotel costs pro-rated from £5.77M/day national spend in 2024/25 (House of Commons Library, CDP-2025-0184). Subsistence: £49.18/week per person.
Cambridge: asylum numbers still rising
Quarter-end stock series to Dec 2025. A rise or fall is a net change in the number of people on support at period end, not the number of new claims or distinct people moving through the caseload. Support stock also overlaps with, but is not identical to, the awaiting-decision backlog.
Exact values
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Mar 2014 | 3 |
| Jun 2014 | 3 |
| Sept 2014 | 3 |
| Dec 2014 | 4 |
| Mar 2015 | 2 |
| Mar 2016 | 2 |
| Sept 2016 | 5 |
| Dec 2016 | 5 |
| Mar 2017 | 5 |
| Sept 2017 | 4 |
| Dec 2017 | 4 |
| Mar 2018 | 4 |
| Jun 2018 | 6 |
| Sept 2018 | 8 |
| Dec 2018 | 6 |
| Mar 2019 | 5 |
| Jun 2019 | 5 |
| Sept 2019 | 4 |
| Dec 2019 | 4 |
| Mar 2020 | 5 |
| Jun 2020 | 5 |
| Sept 2020 | 6 |
| Dec 2020 | 6 |
| Jun 2021 | 4 |
| Sept 2021 | 5 |
| Dec 2021 | 6 |
| Mar 2022 | 6 |
| Jun 2022 | 6 |
| Sept 2022 | 6 |
| Dec 2022 | 6 |
| Mar 2023 | 6 |
| Jun 2023 | 5 |
| Sept 2023 | 3 |
| Mar 2025 | 9 |
| Jun 2025 | 12 |
| Sept 2025 | 11 |
| Dec 2025 | 12 |
Local numbers
Accommodation split
Dispersal accommodation0
Initial accommodation0
Subsistence only14
Contingency accommodation0
Pathway breakdown
Other routes
Homes for Ukraine670
Afghan programme147
Resettlement cumulative113
Population context
All pathways total831
Share of local population0.55%
Ethnic composition projection
Cambridge: White British 53.0% (2021) to 26.6% (2051). White British minority by ~2024. 80% CI: 24.4, 30.9%.
Ethnic composition: Cambridge
White BritishWhite OtherAsianBlackMixedOther 80% CI
Each line shows one ethnic group's share of the local population. The shaded band is the 80% confidence range. Values after 2051 are illustrative only.
Ethnic composition: Cambridge
Census 2011, Census 2021, then Hamilton-Perry projections to 2051. Percentages.
White BritishWhite OtherAsianBlackMixedOther
Model: Hamilton-Perry single-year CCRs, 1,000 Monte Carlo simulations, SNPP-constrained
Census 2011 to 2021 cohort change ratios. Shaded band = 80% confidence interval from stochastic perturbation. Not a forecast.
Scenario explorer
Under different assumptions, White British share in Cambridge ranges from31.6% to 38.9%by 2051. That is a 7.3pp spread.
Fertility
Low~108k/yr
Principal~315k/yr
High~476k/yr
ConstantRates stay at current levels
Half convergenceMove halfway to national avg
Full convergenceConverge to national avg
Migration
Central scenario: WBI 34.4% by 2051
Religion projection
Muslim 5.6% (2021) → 9.6% (2051). Christian 39.1% → 15.4%.
Religion: Cambridge
ChristianNo religionMuslimHindu
Religious affiliation projected from Census 2021 self-identification. Trends reflect demographic change in the existing population, not religious conversion.
Nativity
38% foreign-born (2021). Diversity: highly diverse (entropy 0.73). 80% main language English.
UK-born vs foreign-born: Cambridge
UK-bornForeign-born
Share of the local population born outside the UK. Movement reflects both new arrivals and the UK-born children of existing residents reaching adulthood.
high immigration gateway: High foreign-born share means ethnic change is migration-driven. Future projections are sensitive to immigration policy.
Census 2021 mobility: 15.8% moved within UK, 4.3% arrived from abroad
black21.4% internal, 7.7% international
other17.7% internal, 8.8% international
white other17.3% internal, 8% international
asian15.8% internal, 8.9% international
mixed16.8% internal, 3.9% international
white british14.8% internal, 1% international
Why Cambridge is changing
-13ppWhite British change 2011-2021. Cyan = decline. Amber = growth.
Dominant driver: local migration. Shift-share methodology following Franklin (2014).
Full demographic profileSchool pressure, housing demand, service demand scoring, economic profile, language projections, and more on UK Demographics.View Cambridge on UK Demographics →
Economy & housing by ethnicity
Census 2021 employment, homeownership, and qualifications by ethnic group.
Employment rate
White British55.1%
Mixed57.6%
White Other72.9%
Other64.4%
Homeownership rate
White British51%
Mixed31.4%
White Other32.4%
Other31.4%
Degree+ qualification rate
White British52%
Mixed50.8%
White Other68.2%
Other60%
Source
Census 2021 RM018 (economic activity), RM134 (tenure), RM049 (qualifications) by ethnic group. Observed, not projected.
Service demand impact
Projected impact of demographic change on local services.
non-English speakers
NHS and council services will need increased interpreter/translation provision.
foreign-born growth to 2051
High foreign-born population growth will drive additional housing demand, particularly in the private rented sector.
EAL growth
EAL demand growth is moderate.
National benchmarks
Supported asylum count
14National distribution.
Supported asylum rate
0.93Per 10,000 residents.
Contingency accommodation
0Hotel and contingency placements.
Regional peers
Top 6 in East of England by supported asylum.