relatively small group of people in a society who differ from majority because of race, religion or culture.
Before new classifications were introduced in the 2001 Census of Population, "Ethnic Minority" was defined as anyone who had classified themselves in any category other than "White". It is known that some in the "Other" category had white skin colour but had used the category to indicate that they were non-English. One reason that the nationality classification was introduced was so that national as well as ethnic origin or affiliation could be reflected.
a group that has different national or cultural traditions from the majority of the population
A person or group of people who have a different culture, religion or language to the main one in the place or country they live.
The CRE uses the term ethnic minority, not minority ethnic, BME, or visible minority. Ethnic minority, in the CRE's usage, includes members of white minorities (such as Irish), unless it is stated that the term is being used in a narrower sense (excluding all white groups) which is sometimes necessary if the term relates to statistics produced by other bodies using this narrower definition.
To qualify as an ethnic group for racial discrimination purposes under the Race Relations Act 1976, it has been decided by the Courts that a group must have a long shared history, a cultural tradition, a common language, literature and religion, and be a minority or oppressed group. A recent case held that Rastafarians did not qualify as an ethnic group.