LONDON, Jan 20: Almost one fifth of British children are now from an ethnic minority background, according to a new study published on Monday.

Research by Dr Lucinda Platt, senior lecturer at Essex University’s Institute for Social and Economic Research, found 20 per cent of under 16s are now from a minority background, compared to 15 percent of the total population.

Three per cent of children are of mixed ethnicity, and around nine per cent live in families made up of different ethnic groups, her study found, with these figures likely to increase in the future.

“Britain is changing in a remarkable way,” said a spokesman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which commissioned the study.

“The old, polarising debate about black and white is changing and the next generation will not see race in the same way we see it.”

He said it was a “hugely positive” finding but warned: “We need to be alert to tensions within communities that may be exacerbated by the economic downturn and remain vigilant against discrimination and divisiveness.”

Britain has a long and chequered history of immigration, particularly from former colonies, and Monday’s study reveals the biggest ethnic group remains Indian (about two per cent) followed by Pakistanis (1.6 per cent).—AFP