Albanian residents in the UK

FOI reference: FOI-2025-2536

You asked

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I kindly request the following information regarding residents in England and Wales:

1. The total number of residents born in Albania who hold any citizenship.
2. The total number of residents who speak Albanian as their first language.
3. The total number of residents who speak Albanian as their second language.
4. The total number of residents who speak Albanian as their third language.
5. The total number of residents born in England and Wales to two Albanian-speaking parents.
6. The total number of residents born in England and Wales to one Albanian-speaking parent.
7. Number of residents with Albanian ethnicity as recorded in census data.
8. Number of residents who self-identify as being of Albanian descent.
9. Number of residents with Albanian as a household language.
10. Breakdown of Albanian-speaking residents by age group, region, or nationality.

Additionally, could you clarify whether the ONS holds alternative or complementary datasets that could provide an accurate estimate of the total number of residents who are wholly or partly of Albanian descent?

We said

Thank you for your enquiry. 

We do publish statistics on international migration, but the data regarding country of origin is not detailed enough to identify people from Albania. We have limited data below UK, EU and non-EU from 2019 onwards; we only have the top 10 arrivals by nationality from Home Office data. Please see table 3 here - Long-term international migration, provisional - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) 

Census 2021 data can provide data on the international migrant population by country of birth at the time of the census in March 2021. This is the source of data we're using to answer your request.

1. The total number of residents born in Albania who hold any citizenship. 

Some data are available in the standard dataset RM108 - Passports held by country of birth. However, by using the Create a Custom Dataset Tool we can provide more detail for country of birth to show data for Albania. Please see the following link: Country of birth (extended) and passports held

2. The total number of residents who speak Albanian as their first language. 

Please see the following link to the Topic Summary dataset: TS024 - Main language (detailed)

3. The total number of residents who speak Albanian as their second language. 

4. The total number of residents who speak Albanian as their third language. 

We cannot provide data on a person's second or third language as we only ask a question about a person's main language, therefore this is information not held. Please see Census 2021 paper questionnaires - Office for National Statistics to see the questions that were asked.

5. The total number of residents born in England and Wales to two Albanian-speaking parents. 

6. The total number of residents born in England and Wales to one Albanian-speaking parent. 

It may be possible for us to create a custom dataset for residents with one or two Albanian speaking parents where they are part of the same household via our commissioned table service, subject to statistical disclosure control processes. However, this would only identify those living with their parents; we could not provide data about the languages spoken by parents for anyone not living with their parents as we do not ask about this in the census.

7. Number of residents with Albanian ethnicity as recorded in census data. 

Please see: TS022 Ethnic group (detailed).

8. Number of residents who self-identify as being of Albanian descent. 

The most detailed standard National identity dataset, TS028 - National identity (detailed), does not have show data for Albania separately. It may be possible to request detailed data for residents who responded with Albania to the National identity question via our commissioned table service, subject to statistical disclosure control processes.

9. Number of residents with Albanian as a household language. 

We record the main language of all usual residents aged 3 years and above. We can provide data on Main language (detailed) and multiple main languages in household for household reference persons which includes data on the number of households where 'All household members have the same main language', and the main language of the household reference person, but this does not show which language is spoken. It may be possible to request data for household reference persons for Main language (detailed) and multiple main languages in household for Albanian as the Main language spoken via our commissioned table service, subject to statistical disclosure control processes.

10. Breakdown of Albanian-speaking residents by age group, region, or nationality. 

While the Create a Custom dataset tool allows the variables of Age, Main language (detailed) and Passports held to be combined, Main language is not detailed enough to show data for Albanian separately. It may be possible to request data for these variables with Albanian as the Main language spoken via our commissioned table service, subject to statistical disclosure control processes.

Could you clarify whether the ONS holds alternative or complementary datasets that could provide an accurate estimate of the total number of residents who are wholly or partly of Albanian descent?

Census data is the only source which provides either ethnic group or country of birth data that includes the level of detail required to show figures for Albanian or Albania. Where data is not available in existing published datasets, you may be able to request data via our commissioned table service, subject to statistical disclosure control processes.