Migration and Health in Birmingham Jenny Phillimore, IASS

The Population of Birmingham  Lack of reliable data a particular issue for Birmingham  1,006,500 residents projected 2006  1,105,520 residents projected for 2026  Rapid change from 77% white 1991 to 48% white 2026  Large increases projected –Pakistani, other, Bangladeshi and African communities  Wide range of immigration statuses – asylum seekers (6k), refugees (100k?), economic migrants (?), Accession country migrants (12k), spousal migrants and undocumented migrants  Birmingham is a super-diverse city and becoming move diverse

Asylum seekers 2009, BCC tenants and waiting lists

Ethnic clusters  Data is incomplete but tells us people in Bham from 170 different countries  Pakistani  African-Caribbean  Indian  Bangladeshi  Iranian  Chinese  Accession country migrants  Somali  African  Afghani  Other Asian  Kurdish/Iraqi  Middle Eastern

Integration issues  Transient population and poor data = no sense of who is living in Bham  Migrants concentrated in deprived areas  Extremely high u/e rates in some groups (c80%)  Housing conditions poor and unstable  1 in 5 births to women born outside of UK  Highest infant mortality in new migrant groups  Mental health  Language, cultural barriers and immigration status prevent access to services

Issues for Birmingham  Trying to understand and address the implications of super-diversity  High levels of deprivation – persistent poverty in the key multi-cultural areas  Poor health outcomes and dealing with migrant specific issues such as FGM  Social exclusion – address high migrant u/e  Community cohesion and preventing violent extremism

Priorities for Birmingham  Achieving equity in access to services  Social inclusion of all groups  Maintaining good community relations  Addressing some gender specific issues  Better health outcomes –Healthy Lifestyles Project –Displaced people’s employment initiative