Format/length:	an2
HES item:
National Codes:
Default Codes:	9 - Not given

Notes:
ETHNIC GROUP is the old classification of ethnicity replaced by ETHNIC CATEGORY CODE.

New ethnic categories defined in the 2001 census have become the national mandatory standard for the collection of ethnicity. These new ethnic categories have replaced the existing categories of ethnic data as classified by ETHNIC GROUP but there will be a period where both may need to co-exist at the same time.

Note: ETHNIC CATEGORY CODE should be used when classifying people from 01/04/2001 and in the Commissioning Data Sets.

ETHNIC GROUP classifies the ethnicity of a PERSON, as specified by the PERSON. The classification was used in the 1991 census, and will exist in parallel with ETHNIC CATEGORY CODE for some time.

Permitted National Codes:

0	White
1	Black - Caribbean
2	Black - African
3	Black - Other
4	Indian
5	Pakistani
6	Bangladeshi
7	Chinese
8	Any other ethnic group

When recording Ethnic Group in a 2-digit field, the national code should be entered as the left digit. In order to avoid coding errors, providers collecting ethnic group to the national standard with no further detail are advised to add 0 (zero) after the national code.

Code 8 does not carry the standard default meaning of Not applicable.

 

This data element is also known by these names:

Context	Alias
plural	ETHNIC GROUPS