Editing Luton (section)

==Demography==
{{Main|Demographics of Luton}}
The [[2021 United Kingdom census]] showed that the borough had a population of 225,262,<ref name="2021 Nomis"/> a 10.9% increase from the previous census in 2011 and a 22.2% increase compared with 2001. In 2021, 52,566 residents (23% of the total) were aged under 16, 146,330 (65%) were aged 16 to 64, and 26,363 (12%) were aged 65 or over.<ref name="2021 Nomis"/>

Local inhabitants are known as ''Lutonians''.

===Ethnicity===
[[File:Luton ethnic demography from 1971 to 2021.gif|thumb|Ethnic demography of Luton from 1971 to 2021]]
{| class="wikitable" style="display: inline-table;"
| colspan="14" style="text-align:center;" |'''Luton: Ethnicity''': 2011 Census<ref name="2011census">{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6275157&c=luton&d=13&e=62&g=6394327&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1361379856428&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2477|title=Local Authority by Ethnic Group|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=20 February 2013}}</ref> and 2021 Census<ref name="2021 Nomis"/>
|-
! Ethnic group
! 2011<br/>Population
! 2011<br/>%
!
! 2021<br/>Population
! 2021<br/>%
|-
||White
| style="text-align:right;" |111,079
| style="text-align:right;" |54.7
|
| style="text-align:right;" |101,798
| style="text-align:right;" |45.2
|-
|Mixed
| style="text-align:right;" |8,281
| style="text-align:right;" |4.1
|
| style="text-align:right;" |9,620
| style="text-align:right;" |4.3
|-
|Asian or Asian British
| style="text-align:right;" |60,952
| style="text-align:right;" |30.0
|
| style="text-align:right;" |83,325
| style="text-align:right;" |37.0
|-
|Black or Black British
| style="text-align:right;" |19,909
| style="text-align:right;" |9.8
|
| style="text-align:right;" |22,735
| style="text-align:right;" |10.1
|-
|Other Ethnic Group
| style="text-align:right;" |2,980
| style="text-align:right;" |1.5
|
| style="text-align:right;" |7,783
| style="text-align:right;" |3.5
|-
|Total
| style="text-align:right;" |203,201
| style="text-align:right;" |100
|
| style="text-align:right;" |225,261
| style="text-align:right;" |100
|}

Luton has seen several waves of immigration. In the early part of the 20th century, migrants from [[Ireland]] and [[Scotland]] came to the town. These were followed by [[South Asia]]n and [[British African-Caribbean community|Afro-Caribbean]] immigrants. More recently immigrants from [[Europe]]an countries such as [[Albania]] have made Luton their home. As a result of this Luton has a diverse ethnic mix, with a significant population of Asian descent, mainly [[British Pakistanis|Pakistani]] (41,143 residents, 18.3%) and [[Bangladeshi people|Bangladeshi]] (20,630, 9.2%).<ref name="TS021">{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004032733/https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/3 |archive-date=4 October 2023 |title=Ethnic group Census 2021: dataset TS021  |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=29 November 2022 |website=ons.gov.uk |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=22 March 2024}}</ref> People in Asian ethnic groups accounted for 86% of Luton's [[Muslim]] population in 2021.<ref name="RM031">{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/RM031/editions/2021/versions/1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215075531/https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/RM031/editions/2021/versions/1 |archive-date=15 February 2024 |title=Ethnic group by religion: Census 2021 dataset RM031 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=29 November 2022 |website=ons.gov.uk |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=22 March 2024}}</ref>

As of the 2021 census, the White British (White English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish) population of Luton comprised less than a third of the total (31.8%), the twelfth lowest proportion out of 318 local authorities in England and Wales and the second lowest (after [[Slough]]) outside of London.<ref name="TS021"/> Overall, 45.2% of Luton's population in 2021 was White (including non-British White people),<ref name="TS021"/> down from 54.7% in 2011.

In 2011 81% of the population of Luton defined themselves as British.<ref>{{cite news|last=Philipson |first=Alice |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/9792392/White-Britons-a-minority-in-Leicester-Luton-and-Slough.html|title=White Britons a minority in Leicester, Luton and Slough|website=The Daily Telegraph |date=10 January 2013 |access-date=17 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113024453/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/9792392/White-Britons-a-minority-in-Leicester-Luton-and-Slough.html|archive-date=13 January 2013}}</ref>

===Religion===
At the 2021 census, the religious affiliation of Luton was as follows:<ref>{{cite web |date=29 November 2022 |title=Religion – 2021 census |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS030/editions/2021/versions/1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129115419/https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS030/editions/2021/versions/1 |archive-date=29 November 2022 |access-date=16 December 2022 |website=Office of National Statistics}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="display: inline-table;"
|-
! Religion
! Population
! %
|-
|Christian
|style="text-align:right;"|85,297
|style="text-align:right;"|37.9
|-
|Muslim
|style="text-align:right;"|74,191
|style="text-align:right;"|32.9
|-
|Hindu
|style="text-align:right;"|7,438
|style="text-align:right;"|3.3
|-
|Sikh
|style="text-align:right;"|3,032
|style="text-align:right;"|1.3
|-
|Buddhist
|style="text-align:right;"|664
|style="text-align:right;"|0.3
|-
|Jewish
|style="text-align:right;"|246
|style="text-align:right;"|0.1
|-
|Other religion
|style="text-align:right;"|1,115
|style="text-align:right;"|0.5
|-
|No religion
|style="text-align:right;"|39,580
|style="text-align:right;"|17.6
|-
|Religion not stated
|style="text-align:right;"|13,697
|style="text-align:right;"|6.1
|}
[[File:High Town Methodist church, Luton.jpg|alt=Methodist Chapel|thumb|The [[Methodism|Methodist]] Chapel in High Town (built 1897)]]
[[File:Sikh temple, luton.jpg|alt=Sikh Temple|thumb|The Guru Nanak Gurdwara [[Sikhism|Sikh]] Temple]]
[[File:Luton, Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque - geograph.org.uk - 194124.jpg|alt=Muslim mosque|thumb|The Jamia [[Mosque]]]]