One of the best things about living in a big city is the sheer variety of people and cultures you get to mix with. And of course, the food! Who wouldn’t want to have access to authentic Indian, Chinese, Thai, Turkish and Italian cuisines and more, right on their doorstep?
When travelling or thinking about moving, it’s always useful to know which cities boast the most variety, and have an open, welcoming atmosphere. A recent global survey asked locals just how diverse and inclusive they find their cities to be, coming up with a ranking of the most diverse cities on the planet. Out of the top 10, two were in Britain.
The UK capital London came very top of the list, where a huge 78 percent of survey respondents said they’d describe the city as diverse and inclusive. We weren’t surprised that the Big Smoke came in first place. As a veritable melting pot, London is home to large communities hailing from Portugal, Korea, Nigeria, Turkey, Poland, Bangladesh, Jamaica, India, Pakistan, China and the list goes on.
It’s thought that around 300 different languages are spoken in London, and you can get your hands on practically every international cuisine under the sun: South Lambeth is home to Little Portugal; in New Malden you’ll find Little Korea; Little Lagos is tucked away in Peckham; head to north London’s Green Lanes for Turkish; Tottenham is home to the UK’s only Latin village; and perhaps most famous of all is Brick Lane, the iconic east London street lined with Bengali-owned Indian restaurants.
The capital is home to a huge LGBTQ+ community too, with an impressive and ever-growing selection of queer spaces like gay bars and clubs, alongside lesbian spaces and events, too.
The second British city to be included in the top 10 was Brighton, which came in third place, after Melbourne. The seaside city an hour from London is famous for being an LGTBQ+ friendly hub, and hosts the UK’s biggest pride parade every year. Affectionately known at the UK’s Gay Capital, Census data from 2023 shows that it has a higher proportion of people identifying as bi, pan, asexual and non-binary than any other city in England and Wales.
To see the full ranking of the world’s most diverse and inclusive cities, click here.
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