Demographics of London

The demography of London is analysed by the Office for National Statistics and data is produced for each of the Greater London wards, the City of London and the 32 London boroughs, the Inner London and Outer London statistical sub-regions, each of the Parliamentary constituencies in London, and for all of Greater London as a whole. Additionally, data is produced for the Greater London Urban Area. Statistical information is produced about the size and geographical breakdown of the population, the number of people entering and leaving country and the number of people in each demographic subgroup. The total population of London as of 2021 is 8,799,800.^[6]

Demographics of London
Population pyramid of London
Population	8,799,800 (2021)
Density	5,854/km2 (15,160/sq mi) (2020 estimates)[1]
Growth rate	7.7% (2011 - 2021)[2]
Life expectancy
• male	80.3 (2018-2020)[3]
• female	84.3 (2018-2020)
Fertility rate	1.52 (2021)[4]
Infant mortality rate	3.4 live deaths/1,000 live births (2018-2020)[5]
Nationality
Nationality	British
Major ethnic	White: 53.8% (2021) White British: 36.8% (2021)
Minor ethnic	Asian British: 20.8% (2021) Black British: 13.5% (2021) Mixed: 5.7% (2021) Other: 6.3% (2021)
Language
Spoken	British English (main language: 78.4%)

History

See also: History of London

Creation of Greater London: 1965

Through the London Government Act of 1963, the Greater London region was established officially in 1965.^[7]

Migration boom: 1991 to today

From 1997 onwards, London has experienced a drastic change in the composition of the city's population, which has off set the decline of the population which had been occurring ^{[citation needed]}. In 1991, 21.7% of the city was foreign born but by 2011 this had risen to 36.7%.

In 2011, a historic tipping point occurred with the release of the 2011 census indicating that the White British population, which had before been the majority, was now no longer a majority of the city's population, although it remained by far the largest single ethnic group.^[8]

Population

Population growth percentage in London between 2011 and 2021

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1801	1,011,157	—
1811	1,197,673	+18.4%
1821	1,450,122	+21.1%
1831	1,729,949	+19.3%
1841	1,917,013	+10.8%
1851	2,286,609	+19.3%
1861	3,094,391	+35.3%
1871	3,902,178	+26.1%
1881	4,709,960	+20.7%
1891	5,565,856	+18.2%
1901	6,226,494	+11.9%
1911	7,157,875	+15.0%
1921	7,553,526	+5.5%
1931	8,098,942	+7.2%
1941	7,987,936	−1.4%
1951	8,164,416	+2.2%
1961	7,781,342	−4.7%
1971	7,449,184	−4.3%
1981	6,608,513	−11.3%
1991	6,887,280	+4.2%
2001	7,172,036	+4.1%
2011	8,173,941	+14.0%
2021	8,799,800	+7.7%

See also: Historical population of London

The historical population for the current area of Greater London, divided into the statistical areas of Inner and Outer London is as follows:

(click "show" to expand)

London population over time[9][10][11]
Year	Inner London	Outer London	Greater London
1801	879,491	131,666	1,011,157
1811	1,040,033	157,640	1,197,673
1821	1,263,975	186,147	1,450,122
1831	1,515,557	214,392	1,729,949
1841	1,661,346	255,667	1,917,013
1851	1,995,846	290,763	2,286,609
1861	2,634,143	460,248	3,094,391
1871	3,272,441	629,737	3,902,178
1881	3,910,735	799,225	4,709,960
1891	4,422,340	1,143,516	5,565,856
1901	4,670,177	1,556,317	6,226,494
1911	4,997,741	2,160,134	7,157,875
1921	4,936,803	2,616,723	7,553,526
1931	4,887,932	3,211,010	8,098,942
1941	4,224,135	3,763,801	7,987,936
1951	3,680,821	4,483,595	8,164,416
1961	3,336,557	4,444,785	7,781,342
1971	3,030,490	4,418,694	7,449,184
1981	2,425,534	4,182,979	6,608,513
1991	2,625,245	4,262,035	6,887,280
2001	2,765,975	4,406,061	7,172,036
2011[12]	3,231,900	4,942,100	8,173,900
2021	3,404,300	5,395,500	8,799,800

Age

London population pyramid from 1991 to 2021

• Population pyramid of each borough in London
• 
  Barking and Dagenham
• 
  Barnet
• 
  Bexley
• 
  Brent
• 
  Bromley
• 
  Camden
• 
  City of London
• 
  Croydon
• 
  Ealing
• 
  Enfield
• 
  Hackney
• 
  Greenwich
• 
  Harrow
• 
  Hammersmith and Fulham
• 
  Haringey
• 
  Hillingdon
• 
  Havering
• 
  Hounslow
• 
  Islington
• 
  Kensington and Chelsea
• 
  Kingston upon Thames
• 
  Lambeth
• 
  Lewisham
• 
  Merton
• 
  Newham
• 
  Redbridge
• 
  Richmond upon Thames
• 
  Southwark
• 
  Sutton
• 
  Waltham Forest
• 
  Tower Hamlets
• 
  Wandsworth
• 
  Westminster

• Percentage of the population in age groups
• 
  Under 15s in London
• 
  15 to 64 year olds
• 
  Over 64 years old

Fertility

Fertility rate of each London borough in 2021

In 2023, a total of 104,252 live births occurred within the city. The fertility rate of London in 2023 was 1.35, which is below replacement.^[13]

Total fertility rate by borough (2023)^[14]

London borough	TFR
Barking	2.00
Redbridge	1.77
Hillingdon	1.72
Havering	1.65
Croydon	1.63
Waltham Forest	1.63
Enfield	1.61
Harrow	1.61
Newham	1.60
Hounslow	1.58
Barnet	1.57
Brent	1.53
Bexley	1.51
Bromley	1.50
Sutton	1.49
Ealing	1.48
Merton	1.39
Greenwich	1.38
Haringey	1.33
Richmond upon Thames	1.30
Hackney	1.31
Lewisham	1.26
Kingston upon Thames	1.24
Wandsworth	1.14
Tower Hamlets	1.11
Kensington and Chelsea	1.10
Lambeth	1.09
Hammersmith	1.06
Southwark	1.06
Islington	1.01
Westminster	1.00
Camden	1.00

• Birth statistics in London
• 
  Teenage conception rate in London

Population density

Population density in the 2011 census in Greater London.

The population density of London was 5,727 per km2 in 2011.^[15]

Urban and metropolitan area

At the 2001 census, the population of the Greater London Urban Area was 8,278,251.^[16] This area does not include some outliers within Greater London, but does extend into the adjacent South East England and East of England regions. In 2004 the London Plan of the Mayor of London defined a metropolitan region with a population of 18 million.^[17] Eurostat has developed a harmonising standard for comparing metropolitan areas in the European Union and the population of the London Larger Urban Zone is 11,917,000; it occupies an area of 8,920 square kilometres (3,440 sq mi). Another definition gives the population of the metropolitan area as 13,709,000.^[18]

Ethnicity

For the overwhelming majority of London's history, the population of the city was ethnically homogenous with the population being of White British ethnic origin,^[19] with small clusters of minority groups such as Jewish people, most notably in areas of the East End. From 1948 onwards and especially since the 1990s, the population has diversified in international terms at an increased rate.^[19] In 2011, it was reported for the first time that White British people had become a minority within the city, establishing it was a majority-minority city within the country.^[8] In 2005, a survey of London's ethnic and religious diversity claimed that there were more than 300 languages spoken and 50 non-indigenous communities with a population of more than 10,000 in London.^[20]

Ethnicity overall

London ethnic demographics over time

Ethnic makeup of London in single year age groups in 2021

Main article: Ethnic groups in London

Ethnic makeup of London over time in age groups

The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents from estimates in 1971 and in the 1991 – 2021 censuses in Greater London.

Ethnic make-up of Greater London

Ethnic Group	Year
	1961 estimations[21][22]		1966 estimations[23]		1971 estimations[19][24]		1981 estimations[25]		1991 census[26][27]		2001 census[28]		2011 census[29]		2021 census[30]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
White: Total	7,602,233	97.7%	–	95.9%	6,901,596	92.6%	5,893,973	86.6%	5,333,580	79.80%	5,103,203	71.15%	4,887,435	59.79%	4,731,172	53.8%
White: British[Note 1]	–	–	–	–	6,500,000	87%	–	–	–	–	4,287,861	59.79%	3,669,284	44.89%	3,239,281	36.8%
White: Irish	–	–	–	3.6%	401,596	5.4%	–	–	256,470	3.83%	220,488	3.07%	175,974	2.15%	156,333	1.8%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller[Note 2]	–	–	–	–			–	–	–	–	–	–	8,196	0.10%	7,031	0.1%
White: Roma	–	–	–	–			–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	37,689	0.4%
White: Other[Note 1]	–	–	–	–			–	–	–	–	594,854	8.29%	1,033,981	12.65%	1,290,838	14.7%
Asian or Asian British: Total	–	–	–	1.5%	–	–	425,426	6.3%	690,031	10.33%	946,894	13.20%	1,511,546	18.49%	1,817,640	20.8%
Asian or Asian British: Indian	–	–	–	–	–	–	232,881	3.4%	347,091	5.19%	436,993	6.09%	542,857	6.64%	656,272	7.5%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani	–	–	–	–	–	–	59,440	0.9%	87,816	1.31%	142,749	1.99%	223,797	2.74%	290,549	3.3%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi	–	–	–	–	–	–	41,792	0.6%	85,738	1.28%	153,893	2.15%	222,127	2.72%	322,054	3.7%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese[Note 3]	–	–	–	–	–	–	35,938	0.5%	56,579	0.84%	80,201	1.12%	124,250	1.52%	147,520	1.7%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian	–	–	–	–	–	–	55,375	0.8%	112,807	1.68%	133,058	1.86%	398,515	4.88%	401,245	4.6%
Black or Black British: Total	–	–	–	2.6%	–	–	405,394	6%	535,216	8.01%	782,849	10.92%	1,088,640	13.32%	1,188,370	13.5%
Black or Black British: African	–	–	–	0.6%	–	–	102,230	1.5%	163,635	2.44%	378,933	5.28%	573,931	7.02%	697,054	7.9%
Black or Black British: Caribbean	–	–	–	2%	–	–	239,956	3.5%	290,968	4.35%	343,567	4.79%	344,597	4.22%	345,405	3.9%
Black or Black British: Other Black	–	–	–	–	–	–	63,208	0.9%	80,613	1.20%	60,349	0.84%	170,112	2.08%	145,911	1.7%
Mixed or British Mixed: Total[Note 1]	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	226,111	3.15%	405,279	4.96%	505,775	5.7%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	70,928	0.99%	119,425	1.46%	132,555	1.5%
Mixed: White and Black African	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	34,182	0.48%	65,479	0.80%	77,341	0.9%
Mixed: White and Asian	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	59,944	0.84%	101,500	1.24%	125,188	1.4%
Mixed: Other Mixed	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	61,057	0.85%	118,875	1.45%	170,691	1.9%
Other: Total	–	–	–	–	–	–	80,793	1.2%	120,872	1.81%	113,034	1.58%	281,041	3.44%	556,768	6.3%
Other: Arab[Note 2]	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	106,020	1.30%	139,791	1.6%
Other: Any other ethnic group	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	113,034	1.58%	175,021	2.14%	416,977	4.7%
Non-White: Total	179,109	2.3%	–	4.1%	547,588	7.4%	911,626	13.4%	1,346,119	20.2%	2,068,888	28.85%	3,286,506	40.2%	4,068,553	46.2%
Total	7,781,342	100%	–	100%	7,449,184	100%	6,805,599	100%	6,679,699	100.00%	7,172,091	100.00%	8,173,941	100.00%	8,799,725	100%

1. New category created for the 2001 census
2. New category created for the 2011 census
3. In 2001, listed under the 'Other ethnic group' heading.

Distribution of ethnic groups in Greater London in the 2021 census

• 
  White (2001-2021)
• 
  White-British (2021)
• 
  White-Irish (2021)
• 
  White-Other White (2021)
• 
  Asian (2001-2021)
• 
  Asian-Bangladeshi (2021)
• 
  Asian-Chinese (2021)
• 
  Asian-Indian (2021)
• 
  Asian-Pakistani (2021)
• 
  Black (2001-2021)
• 
  Black-African (2021)
• 
  Black-Caribbean (2021)
• 
  Other-Arab (2021)
• 
  Other-Any Other Ethnic Group (2021)

Population pyramid of London by ethnicity in 2021

• Population pyramids of each ethnic group in London
• 
  White: Total
• 
  White British
• 
  White Irish
• 
  White Other
• 
  Asian: Total
• 
  Asian Bangladeshi
• 
  Asian Indian
• 
  Asian Pakistani
• 
  Asian Chinese
• 
  Other Asian
• 
  Black: Total
• 
  Black: Caribbean
• 
  Black: African
• 
  Other Black
• 
  Mixed: Total
• 
  Other: Total
• 
  Other: Any other ethnic group
• 
  Other: Arabs

Ethnicity of school pupils

(click "show" to expand)

Ethnicity of school pupils within London

Ethnic group	School year[31][32]
	1999[33]		2004		2008		2012		2015/16		2017/18		2019/20		2021/2022
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
White: Total	521,332	59%	467,230	51.4%	431,040	46.7%	416,490	42.8%	443,621	41.1%	522,187	40.4%	520,767	39.8%	506,271	38.7%
White: British	–	–	389,350	42.9%	339,610	36.8%	305,805	31.4%	295,572	27.4%	333,497	25.8%	324,358	24.8%	312,522	23.9%
White: Irish	–	–	10,610	1.2%	8,610	0.9%	7,610	0.8%	6,939	0.6%	7,322	0.6%	6,759	0.5%	6,268	0.5%
White: Traveller of Irish heritage	–	–	1,090	0.1%	920	0.1!	1,000	0.1%	1,031	0.1%	1,183	0.1%	1,205	0.1%	1,182	0.1%
White: Gypsy/Roma	–	–	780	0.09%%	950	0.1%	1,505	0.2%	1,643	0.2%	2,074	0.2%	2,359	0.2%	2,358	0.2%
White: Other	–	–	65,410	7.2%	80,950	8.8%	100,570	10.3%	138,436	12.8%	178,111	13.8%	186,086	14.2%	183,941	14.0%
Asian / Asian British: Total	134,872	15.3%	159,370	17.5%	174,380	18.9%	198,280	20.4%	228,767	21.2%	283,443	22%	296,324	22.6%	305,069	23.2%
Asian / Asian British: Indian	65,151		57,990	6.4%	54,570	5.9%	54,490	5.6%	62,065	5.7%	78,700	6.1%	85,521	6.5%	89,639	6.8%
Asian / Asian British: Pakistani	28,215		31,220	3.4%	34,680	3.8%	41,235	4.2%	47,931	4.4%	59,047	4.6%	60,415	4.6%	60,707	4.6%
Asian / Asian British: Bangladeshi	33,846		38,880	4.2%	44,100	4.8%	51,300	5.3%	59,691	5.5%	73,994	5.7%	77,408	5.9%	79,954	6.1%
Asian / Asian British: Chinese	7,660		7,220	0.8%	6,970	0.8%	6,920	0.7%	7,883	0.7%	10,116	0.8%	10,475	0.8%	12,267	0.9%
Asian / Asian British: Other Asians	–		24,060	2.6%	34,060	3.7%	44,335	4.6%	51,197	4.7%	61,586	4.8%	62,505	4.8%	62,502	4.8%
Black / Black British: Total	148,040	16.7%	170,780	18.8%	188,750	20.5%	208,375	21.4%	226,215	20.9%	254,081	19.7%	244,988	18.7%	234,822	17.9%
Black: Caribbean	57,956		63,020	6.9%	59,750	6.5%	57,980	5.9%	55,414	5.1%	57,862	4.5%	53,733	4.1%	50,178	3.8%
Black: African	61,983		91,020	10%	110,090	11.92%	128,295	13.1%	145,447	13.5%	167,058	12.9%	162,680	12.4%	156,883	12.0%
Black: Other Blacks	28,101		16,740	1.8%	18,930	2.1%	22,100	2.3%	25,354	2.3%	29,161	2.3%	28,575	2.2%	27,761	2.1%
Mixed / British Mixed	–		57,720	6.4%	70,330	7.6%	84,615	8.7%	104,470	9.7%	134,226	10.4%	142,135	10.8%	150,285	11.3%
Other: Total	62,014	7%	34,750	3.8%	44,290	4.8%	52,640	5.4%	60,865	5.6%	74,589	5.7%	77,413	5.9%	82,516	6.3%
Unclassified	17,909	2%	18,760	2.1%	6,750	0.7%	13,470	1.4%	16,194	1.5%	22,232	1.7%	27,935	2.1%	30,359	2.3%
Total:	884,167	100%	908,600	100%	922,890	100%	973,875	100%	1,080,132	100%	1,290,758	100%	1,309,562	100%	1,309,322	100%

• School pupils as a percentage of the school population in each borough in 2021/2022 school year
• 
  White: Total
• 
  White: British

Ethnicity of births

Ethnic Group	Year[34]
	1981 estimates[35]		2007		2010		2015		2019		2021[36]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
White: Total	–	80%	58,024	46.4%	65,117	49.5%	61,716	47.8%	57,405	48.7%	53,141	48%
White: British	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	25,827	23.3%
White: Other	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	27,314	24.7%
Asian / Asian British: Total	–	–	21,701	17.3%	24,445	18.5%	26,957	20.9%	24,616	20.9%	24,426	22.1%
Asian / Asian British: Indian	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	8,259	7.5%
Asian / Asian British: Pakistani	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4,341	3.9%
Asian / Asian British: Bangladeshi	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	5,458	4.9%
Asian / Asian British: Other Asians	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	6,368	5.8%
Black / Black British: Total	–	–	22,036	17.6%	22,293	16.9%	18,526	14.3%	15,319	13%	13,476	12.2%
Black: Caribbean	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,893	2.6%
Black: African	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	8,697	7.9%
Black: Other Blacks	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,886	1.7%
Mixed / British Mixed	–	–	7,967	6.3%	9,424	7.1%	11,979	9.3%	12,041	10.2%	12,502	11.3%
Other: Total	–	–	6,337	5%	5,831	4.4%	6,770	5.2%	6,494	5.5%	5,367	4.8%
Not Stated	–	–	9,055	7.2%	4,391	3.3%	3,170	2.4%	1,880	1.5%	1,787	1.6%
Non-White: Total (not including Not stated)	–	20%	58,041	46.2%	61,993	46.9%	64,232	49.7%	58,470	49.6%	55,771	50.4%
Total:	–	100%	125,120	100%	131,501	100%	129,118	100%	117,755	100%	110,699	100%

• Ethnicity of births as a percentage of total births in 2021
• 
  White (49.6% including Not stated)
• 
  White: British (24.9% including Not stated)
• 
  Asian (22.1%)
• 
  Black (12.2%)
• 
  Mixed (11.3%)

Ethnicity in boroughs

This table shows the proportion of different multi-ethnic groups by London borough, as found in the 2021 census.

(click "show" to expand)

Broad multi-ethnic group make-up of London boroughs (2021)
Local authority	White	Mixed	Asian	Black	Other
Barnet	57.7	5.4	19.3	7.9	9.8
Barking and Dagenham	44.9	4.3	25.9	21.4	3.6
Bexley	71.9	3.5	9.9	12.2	2.5
Brent	34.6	5.1	32.8	17.5	10
Bromley	76.5	5.4	8.3	7.6	2.3
Camden	59.5	6.6	18.1	9.0	6.8
City of London	69.4	5.5	16.8	2.7	5.6
Croydon	48.4	7.6	17.5	22.6	3.9
Ealing	43.2	5.2	30.3	10.8	10.6
Enfield	52.1	5.9	11.5	18.3	12.1
Greenwich	55.7	6.0	13.2	21	4.2
Hackney	53.1	6.7	10.4	21.1	8.7
Haringey	57	7	8.7	17.6	9.7
Harrow	36.5	3.8	45.2	7.3	7.2
Havering	75.3	3.7	10.7	8.2	2
Hammersmith and Fulham	63.2	6.7	10.5	12.3	7.3
Hillingdon	48.2	4.4	33.3	7.8	6.3
Hounslow	44.1	4.7	36.7	7.2	7.3
Islington	62.2	7.5	9.9	13.3	7.1
Kensington and Chelsea	63.7	6.6	11.9	7.9	9.9
Kingston upon Thames	68.3	5.4	17.8	2.8	5.7
Lambeth	55	8.1	7.3	24	5.7
Lewisham	51.5	8.1	9	26.8	4.7
Merton	60.2	5.9	18.6	10.6	4.6
Newham	30.8	4.7	42.2	17.5	4.9
Redbridge	34.8	4.1	47.3	8.4	5.4
Richmond upon Thames	80.5	5.5	8.9	1.9	3.3
Southwark	51.4	7.2	9.9	25.1	6.3
Sutton	68.3	4.8	17.5	5.9	3.4
Tower Hamlets	39.4	5	44.4	7.3	3.9
Waltham Forest	52.8	6.5	19.9	15	5.8
Wandsworth	67.8	6.3	11.7	10.1	4.1
Westminster	55.2	6.5	16.8	8.1	13.5

• White multi-ethnic group over time
• 
  1991 (79.8%)
• 
  2001 (71.2%)
• 
  2011 (59.8%)
• 
  2021 (53.8%)

• Asian multi-ethnic group over time
• 
  1991 (10.3%)
• 
  2001 (13.2%)
• 
  2011 (18.5%)
• 
  2021 (20.8%)

• Black multi-ethnic group over time
• 
  1991 (8%)
• 
  2001 (10.9%)
• 
  2011 (13.3%)
• 
  2021 (13.5%)

Country of birth

Foreign born within London over time from 1851 to 2021

Foreign born in London by age over time

UK born and foreign born population pyramid in London in 2021. Males and females representing the UK born population whileforeign males and females representing the foreign born population.

Foreign born and UK born percentage of age groups in London

The 2021 census recorded that 3,575,740 people or 40.7% of London's population are foreign-born (including 27.9% born in a non-European country).^[37]

(click "show" to expand)

Country of Birth	Year
	1951 (County of London)[38]		1971 census[39][40]		1981 census[41][42]		1991 census[43]		2001 census[44]		2011 census[45]		2021 census[37]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Europe	3,239,240	96.8%	6,568,348	90.76%	5,787,624	87.57%	5,639,192	84.4%	5,741,636	80%	6,174,371	75.5%	6,346,649	72.1%
United Kingdom	3,018,418	90.2%	6,133,105	84.74%	5,405,576	81.79%	5,228,658	78.3%	5,231,701	72.9%	5,175,677	63.3%	5,223,986	59.3%
England	2,871,072	85.8%			5,175,884	78.3%	5,001,658	74.9%	5,010,969	69.9%	4,997,072	61.1%	5,075,165	57.7%
Scotland	62,980				109,935	1.7%	113,117	1.7%	108,682	1.5%	89,527	1.1%	75,004	0.9%
Wales	59,416				79,000	1.2%	70,532	1.1%	71,962	1.0%	53,828	0.7%	44,806	0.5%
Northern Ireland							42,243	0.6%	37,574	0.5%	32,774	0.4%	28,248	0.3%
Ireland	89,895		236,396	3.26%	199,460	3.01%	214,033	3.2%	157,556	2.2%	129,807	1.6%	96,566	1.1%
European Community or Other Europe	130,927	3.9%	198,847	2.74%	182,588	2.76%	196,501		352,379		865,681		1,122,663	12.8%
Germany	18,024						32,027	0.5%	39,818	0.6%	55,476	0.7%	50,364	0.6%
France	8,081						20,923	0.3%	38,130	0.5%	66,654	0.8%	77,715	0.9%
Italy	9,603						30,052	0.4%	38,694	0.5%	62,050	0.8%	126,059	1.4%
Spain							19,047	0.3%	22,480	0.3%	35,880	0.4%	68,114	0.8%
Poland	32,787						21,823	0.3%	22,224	0.3%	158,300	1.9%	149,397	1.7%
Romania	1,737						1,774	0.0%	3,049	0.0%	44,848	0.5%	175,991	2.0%
Cyprus	6,799						50,684	0.8%	45,888	0.6%			35,300	0.4%
Russia	16,046						5,234	0.1%	10,361	0.1%	16,757	0.2%	25,770	0.3%
Turkey	1,080						20,426	0.3%	39,128	0.5%	59,596	0.7%	72,867	0.8%
Asia	20,999	0.6%	161,777	2.23%	234,599	3.54%	435,819	6.5%	634,917	8.9%	966,990	11.8%	1,146,247	13%
India	16,370		104,001	1.43%	139,123	2.10%	151,619	2.3%	172,661	2.4%	262,247	3.2%	322,644	3.7%
Pakistan	1,578		29,395	0.40%	35,625	0.53%	44,741	0.7%	66,658	0.9%	112,457	1.4%	129,774	1.5%
Bangladesh					22,108	0.33%	56,657	0.8%	84,565	1.2%	109,948	1.3%	138,895	1.6%
Sri Lanka							25,818	0.4%	49,932	0.7%	84,542	1.0%	80,379	0.9%
China	1,350						6,996	0.1%	13,776	0.2%	39,452	0.5%	56,116	0.6%
Hong Kong	586						18,398	0.3%	23,328	0.3%	26,435	0.3%	33,760	0.4%
Other Asia	–	–	28,381	0.39%	37,741	0.57%	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Old Commonwealth	14,233	0.4%	38,738	0.53%	37,064	0.56%	53,320	0.8%	84,264		–	–	84,248
Australia	6,536						23,315	0.3%	41,488	0.6%	53,959	0.7%	43,418	0.5%
Canada	5,339						11,626	0.2%	15,282	0.2%	21,288	0.3%	21,772	0.2%
New Zealand	2,358						18,379	0.3%	27,494	0.4%	28,547	0.3%	19,058	0.2%
Africa	10,783	0.3%	74,660	1.03%	144,072	2.18%	246,025		454,536		621,613		625,071	7.1%
South Africa	4,668						6,471	0.1%	45,507	0.6%	57,765	0.7%	47,964	0.5%
Nigeria	1,261						36,047	0.5%	68,907	1.0%	114,718	1.4%	117,145	1.3%
Kenya	314						56,993	0.9%	66,311	0.9%	64,212	0.8%	58,020	0.7%
Ghana							26,925	0.4%			62,896	0.8%	65,905	0.7%
Somalia	50								33,831	0.5%	65,333	0.8%	66,288	0.8%
America/Caribbean (NCWP for 1971)	12,241	0.4%	165,369	2.28%	167,399	2.53%			249,191		326,280		367,664	4.2%
Jamaica	2,139						76,445	1.1%	80,319	1.1%	87,467	1.1%	52,613	0.6%
United States	5,942						32,667	0.5%	44,622	0.6%	63,920	0.8%	71,127	0.8%
Brazil	357						–				31,357	0.4%	55,787	0.6%
Antarctica and Oceania (including Australasia) and Other	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	70,632		84,661		64,228	0.7%
British Overseas	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	5,994	–
Other: Total	–	–	227,829	3.14%	237,840	3.59%	1,118		21,179		26		–	–
Foreign born: Total	224,801	9.8%	1,103,616				1,451,041	21.7%	1,940,390	27.1%	2,998,264	36.7%	3,575,740	40.7%
Total	3,347,982	100%	7,236,721	100.00%	6,608,598	100.00%	6,679,699	100%	7,172,091	100%	8,173,941	100%	8,799,726	100%

NOTE: The sub-categories included for each continent may not add up to their respective total amount because the sub categories are only supposed to show the most numerous country of birth from said area.

• Foreign born in the County of London (excluding Irish born in images)
• 
  1901 (5% overall including Irish born)
• 
  1911 (5% overall including Irish born)
• 
  1921 (4% overall including Irish born)
• 
  1931 (5% overall including Irish born)
• 
  1951 (8% overall including Irish born)

• Foreign born in London over time
• 
  1961 (9.8%)
• 
  1971 (15.3%)
• 
  1981 (18.2%)
• 
  1991 (21.7%)
• 
  2001 (27.1%)
• 
  2011 (36.7%)
• 
  2021 (40.7%)

Region of birth of mother[46]	2001		2006		2011		2016		2021
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
United Kingdom	59,104	56.7%	57,376	47.5%	57,450	43.2%	53,866	41.8%	47,958	43.2%
Foreign born	45,058	43.3%	63,522	52.5%	75,383	56.7%	74,923	58.2%	62,986	56.8%
EU	6,977	6.7%	11,309	9.4%	18,402	13.8%	22,573	17.5%	18,365	16.5%
Rest of Europe	3,380	3.2%	4,090	3.4%	4,160	3.1%	5,382	4.2%	5,933	5.3%
Middle East and Asia	13,489	13%	18,206	15%	25,478	19.2%	24,235	18.8%	21,394	19.2%
Africa	13,600	13.1%	20,043	16.6%	19,866	15%	15,600	12.1%	10,725	9.7%
Rest of the world	7,612	7.3%	9,874	8.2%	7,477	5.6%	7,133	5.5%	6,569	5.9%
Total	104,162	1000%	120,898	100%	132,843	100%	128,803	100%	110,961	100%

• Born to foreign born mothers
• 
  2007
• 
  2014
• 
  2021

• Population pyramids of country of birth groupings in 2021
• 
  UK born
• 
  Foreign born: Total

Languages

Percentage of the population whose main language is English in London in 2021

According to the 2011 Census, 6,083,420 or 77.9% of London's population aged 3 and over spoke English as a main language, with a further 1,406,912 (19.8%) speaking it as a second language or well to very well.^[47] 271,693 (3.5%) could not speak English well, while 47,917 (0.6%) could not speak English at all.^[47] 2,456 (<0.1%) spoke other UK minority languages, with the most common being Welsh and 2,926 (<0.1%) used British Sign Language.^[48] This shows also great challenges for TfL and other government services, for example most ticket vending machines use only English, French and up to 2 other western Europe hemisphere languages, while as shown below most demand is for Indian languages, Polish, etc.

The most common main languages spoken in Greater London according to the 2011 and 2021 censuses are shown below.^[49]

Main language

Languages spoken in London by usual residents aged 3+

2011			2021
Language	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
English	6,083,420	77.90%	6,650,973	78.40%
Romanian	39,653	0.50%	159,338	1.90%
Spanish	71,192	0.90%	117,457	1.40%
Polish	147,816	1.90%	112,068	1.30%
Bengali	114,267	1.50%	101,975	1.20%
Portuguese	71,525	0.90%	94,205	1.10%
Gujarati	101,676	1.30%	82,610	1.00%
Italian	49,484	0.60%	81,293	1.00%
Punjabi	68,525	0.90%	74,205	0.90%
Arabic	70,602	0.90%	72,102	0.80%
Tamil	70,565	0.90%	70,673	0.80%
Turkish	71,242	0.90%	69,641	0.80%
French	84,191	1.10%	67,049	0.80%
Urdu	78,667	1.00%	63,626	0.80%
Bulgarian			47,648	0.60%
Persian	39,645	0.50%	39,233	0.50%
Somali	54,852	0.70%	37,346	0.40%
Malayalam	26,924	0.30%	36,015	0.40%
Russian	26,603	0.30%	31,906	0.40%
Lithuanian	35,341	0.50%	30,768	0.40%
German	31,306	0.40%	19,074	0.20%
Other	441,968	5.66%

Proficiency in English

Language proficiency	London (aged 3 and over)
	2011[50]		2021[51]
	Number	%	Number	%
Main language is English	6,083,420	77.9%	6,650,973	78.4%
Main language is not English	1,726,522	22.1%	1,831,690	21.6%
Can speak English very well	763,502	9.8%	840,463	9.9%
Can speak English well	643,410	8.2%	636,226	7.5%
Cannot speak English well	271,693	3.5%	303,265	3.6%
Cannot speak English	47,917	0.6%	51,736	0.6%
Total	7,809,942	100%	8,482,663	100%

Religion

Main article: Religion in London

Religious makeup of London in single year age groups in 2021

London's religious landscape over the past two decades has undergone significant change. In 2001, Christians constituted the majority at 58.23%, but by 2021, this percentage had declined to 40.66%. Meanwhile, the population identifying with no religion saw a significant increase, rising from 15.76% in 2001 to 27.05% in 2021. This shift suggests a growing trend of secularization in the city.^{[citation needed]}

The Muslim population also experienced notable growth, increasing from 8.46% in 2001 to 14.99% in 2021. The number of individuals who chose not to state their religion slightly fluctuated during these years, from 8.66% in 2001 to 7.00% in 2021.

Hinduism saw steady growth, constituting 4.07% of the population in 2001 and rising to 5.15% in 2021. The Jewish community remained relatively stable but saw a slight decline from 2.09% to 1.65% over the same period. Sikhism also experienced growth, albeit modest, from 1.45% in 2001 to 1.64% in 2021. Other religions, including Buddhism, collectively accounted for small but fluctuating percentages, with Buddhism specifically ranging from 0.76% in 2001 to 0.88% in 2021.

These changes are influenced by various factors, including immigration, generational attitudes, and broader social trends.^{[citation needed]}

Religious affiliation of Londoners

Religion	1950 estimates[52]		1960 estimates[52]		1975 estimates[52]		1984 estimates[52]		1995 estimates[52]		2001 census[53]		2011 census[54]		2021 census[55]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Christian	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4,176,175	58.23%	3,957,984	48.42%	3,577,681	40.66%
No religion	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,130,616	15.76%	1,694,372	20.73%	2,380,404	27.05%
Muslim	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	607,083	8.46%	1,012,823	12.39%	1,318,754	14.99%
Religion not stated	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	621,366	8.66%	692,739	8.47%	615,662	7.00%
Hindu	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	291,977	4.07%	411,291	5.03%	453,034	5.15%
Jewish	250,000	–	280,000	–	228,000	–	210,000	–	196,000	–	149,789	2.09%	148,602	1.82%	145,466	1.65%
Sikh	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	104,230	1.45%	126,134	1.54%	144,543	1.64%
Other religion	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	36,558	0.51%	47,970	0.59%	86,759	0.99%
Buddhist	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	54,297	0.76%	82,026	1.00%	77,425	0.88%
Total	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	7,172,091	100%	8,173,941	100%	8,799,728	100%

Distribution of religions in Greater London according to the 2011 census.

• 
  Christianity
• 
  Islam
• 
  Hinduism
• 
  Judaism
• 
  Sikhism
• 
  Buddhism
• 
  Other religion
• 
  No religion

Population pyramid of London by religion in 2021

• Population pyramids of each religious group in London
• 
  Christian
• 
  No religion
• 
  None stated
• 
  Muslim
• 
  Hindu
• 
  Buddhist
• 
  Sikh
• 
  Jewish
• 
  Other religion

Ethnicity by religion

Ethnic Group	2021 census[56]
	Christian	Muslim	Hindu	Other	No religion	Undeclared
	Number	Number	Number	Number	Number	Number
White: Total	2,271,066	113,038	1,450	164,195	1,837,754	343,671
White: British	1,426,511	37,544	841	112,911	1,446,794	214,682
White: Irish	109,149	604	60	1,720	35,793	9,007
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller	4,852	141	16	130	1,445	447
White: Roma	25,646	890	20	455	7,680	2,998
White: Other	704,908	73,859	513	48,979	346,042	116,537
Asian or Asian British: Total	205,801	716,586	421,063	197,465	175,004	101,716
Asian or Asian British: Indian	75,625	66,763	329,329	122,742	31,289	30,524
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani	3,601	264,201	548	582	5,195	16,421
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi	1,057	295,963	3,570	442	4,175	16,843
Asian or Asian British: Chinese	26,018	603	162	16,722	89,546	14,469
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian	99,500	89,056	87,454	56,977	44,799	23,459
Black or Black British: Total	775,655	216,758	976	9,382	103,015	82,586
Black or Black British: African	434,796	196,647	375	2,965	25,603	36,667
Black or Black British: Caribbean	241,736	3,875	399	4,851	60,825	33,719
Black or Black British: Other Black	99,123	16,236	202	1,566	16,587	12,200
Mixed or British Mixed: Total	197,939	47,532	3,943	14,004	194,909	47,449
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean	57,671	1,964	75	1,809	59,103	11,933
Mixed: White and Black African	39,137	9,631	98	975	21,121	6,380
Mixed: White and Asian	36,027	12,648	2,648	5,118	56,599	12,148
Mixed: Other Mixed	65,104	23,289	1,122	6,102	58,086	16,988
Other: Total	127,219	224,840	25,602	69,143	69,722	40,241
Other: Arab[Note 1]	6,420	113,809	61	1,174	7,394	10,932
Other: Any other ethnic group	120,799	111,031	25,541	67,969	62,328	29,309
Total	3,577,681	1,318,754	453,034	454,193	2,380,404	615,662

1. New category created for the 2011 census

Social issues

Marriage and divorce

In 2019, a total of 29,139 marriages occurred within London.^[57]

Abortion

In 2020, 27.7% of conceptions were aborted in the city.^[58]

• Abortion in London
• 
  Percentage of conceptions aborted in London by each borough in 2020
• 
  Abortion rates by age group in London

Sexual orientation and gender identity

Sexual orientation	London (aged 16 and over)
	2021[59]
	Number	%
Straight or Heterosexual	6,123,195	86.2%
Gay or Lesbian	158,760	2.2%
Bisexual	108,140	1.5%
All other sexual orientations	37,482	0.5%
Not answered	676,408	9.5%
Total	7,103,985	100%

Gender identity	London (aged 16 and over)
	2021[60]
	Number	%
Gender identity the same as sex registered at birth	6,479,664	91.2
Gender identity different from sex registered at birth but no specific identity given	32,753	0.5%
Trans woman	11,266	0.2%
Trans man	11,480	0.2%
All other gender identities	8,862	0.1%
Not answered	559,960	7.9%
Total	7,103,985	100%

Health

In 2021, the suicide rate in total was 6.6 for every 100,000 people.^[61] For males this was 9.9 and for females this was 3.4.^[61]

• Variety of health issues in graphs
• 
  Suicide rates in London
• 
  Drug misuse rate in London
• 
  Percentage of Year 6s obese in 2020 in London
• 
  Percentage of Reception age children obese in 2020

General health

General health (self-identified)	2001[62]		2011[63]		2021[64]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Very good health	5,078,978	70.8%	4,127,788	50.5%	4,712,358	53.6%
Good health			2,725,645	33.3%	2,802,395	31.8%
Fair health	1,499,198	20.9%	915,035	11.2%	908,941	10.3%
Bad health	593,915	8.3%	305,343	3.7%	283,864	3.2%
Very bad health			100,130	1.2%	92,170	1.0%
Total	7,172,091	100%	8,173,941	100%	8,799,728	100%

Disability

Disability status	London
	1991 (long term illness)[65]		2001 (limiting long term illness)[66]		2011[67]		2021[68]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Disabled (under the Equality Act)	742,870	10.7%	1,111,284	15.5%	1,157,16	14.1%	1,164,456	13.2%
Disabled under the Equality Act: Day-to-day activities limited a little	–	–	–	–	605,501	7.4%	658,547	7.5%
Disabled under the Equality Act: Day-to-day activities limited a lot	–	–	–	–	551,664	6.7%	505,909	5.7%
Not disabled (under the Equality Act)	–	–	–	–	7,016,776	85.8%	7,635,272	86.8%
Not disabled under the Equality Act: No long term physical or mental health conditions	–	–	–	–	7,016,776	85.8%	7,175,718	81.5%
Not disabled under the Equality Act: Has long term physical or mental health condition but day-to-day activities are not limited	–	–	–	–	–	–	459,554	5.2%
Total	6,887,280	100%	7,172,091	100%	8,173,941	100%	8,799,728	100%

Income and industry

The vast majority of people within London work in the service sector.^[69]

• Income and industry of London in images
• 
  Employment rate in London
• 
  Unemployment rate in London
• 
  Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) across London in 2020
• 
  Employment in public or private sector in London

Industry

London's industry over time

Industry sector	London (aged 16 and over in employment)
	1961 (10% sample)[70]		1981 (10% sample)[71]		1991 (10% sample)[72]		2001[73]		2011[74]		2021[75]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
A: Agriculture, Forestry and fishing	772	0.2%	445	–	613	–	11,033	0.3%	2,363	0.1%	2,827	0.1%
B: Mining and quarrying	296	–	–	–	2,961	1%	4,487	0.1%	5,606	0.1%	4,957	0.1%
C: Manufacturing	156,035 (Production)	41.5%	58,649	19.1%	29,889	10.5%	253,358	7.6%	128,905	3.2%	131,674	3.0%
D: Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply			5,181	1.7%	3,195	1.1%	11,035	0.3%	10,358	0.3%	15,040	0.3%
E: Water supply; Sewerage, Waste management and Remediation activities									14,207	0.4%	12,732	0.3%
F: Construction			20,347	6.6%	18,395	6.5%	174,731	5.3%	262,356	6.6%	340,992	7.8%
G: Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	–	–	–	–	–	–	478,374	14.4%	522,204	13.1%	531,842	12.2%
H: Transport and storage	–	–	29,760	9.7%	25,056	8.9%	270,358	8.1%	200,336		205,733	4.7%
J: Information and communication	–	–	–	–	–	–			276,355	6.9%	332,394	7.6%
I: Accommodation and food service activities (Distribution or catering; 1981 + 1991)	213,766 (Services)	56.9%	58,778	19.2%	54,123	19.1%	153,357	4.6%	251,574		237,887	5.5%
K: Financial and insurance activities			–	–	57,672	20.4%	937,377	28.3%	306,443		288,113	6.6%
L: Real estate activities			–	–					79,520		92,403	2.1%
M: Professional, scientific and technical activities			–	–					434,405		456,965	10.5%
N: Administrative and support service activities			–	–					234,191		262,952	6.0%
P: Education			–	–	–	–	247,767	7.5%	384,156		418,765	9.6%
Q: Human health and social work activities			–	–	–	–	334,783	10.1%	428,586		563,238	12.9%
O: Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	4,795	1.3%	–	–	–	–	178,261	5.4%	201,545		209,607	4.8%
R, S, T, U: Other and not stated	–	–	131,194	42.6%	90,740	32.1%	264,213	8.0%	255,787		251,958	5.8%
Total	375,664	100%	307,857	100%	282,644	100%	3,319,134	100%	3,998,897	100%	4,360,079	100%

Method of transportation to work

Method of transportation	London (aged 16 and over in employment)
	1981 (10% sample)[76]		1991 (10% sample)[77]		2001[78]		2011[79]		2021[80]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Work mainly at or from home	9,593	3.1%	12,433	4.4%	285,935	7.5%	202,679	5.1%	1,836,823	42.1%
Underground, metro, light rail, tram	39,035	12.7%	–	–	642,476	16.9%	902,263	22.6%	431,842	9.9%
Train	32,638	10.6%	74,262	26.3%	661,166	17.4%	532,720	13.3%	231,074	5.3%
Bus, minibus or coach	51,409	16.7%	32,131	11.4%	376,926	9.9%	561,605	14.0%	386,068	8.9%
Taxi	–	–	–	–	21,962	0.6%	20,314	0.5%	22,544	0.5%
Motorcycle, scooter or moped	6,481	2.1%	3,239	1.1%	55,752	1.5%	45,976	1.1%	30,404	0.7%
Driving a car or van	90,522	29.4%	108,546	38.4%	1,294,081	34.0%	1,120,826	28.0%	897,111	20.6%
Passenger in a car or van	22,903	7.4%	10,068	3.6%	92,819	2.4%	69,659	1.7%	63,883	1.5%
Bicycle	7,308	2.4%	5,783	2.0%	78,804	2.1%	161,705	4.0%	128,833	3.0%
On foot	40,563	13.2%	27,523	9.7%	281,338	7.4%	352,612	8.8%	279,453	6.4%
Other method of travel to work (or Not stated)	7,405	2.4%	8,659	3.1%	14,396	0.4%	28,538	0.7%	52,040	1.2%
Total	307,857	100%	282,644	100%	3,805,655	100%	3,998,897	100%	4,360,075	100%

Note: The proportion of people working from home in 2021 was distorted by the rules surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Hours worked weekly

Hours worked weekly	London (aged 16 and over in employment)
	1991 (10% sample)[81]		2001[82]		2011[83]		2021[84]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Full-time	224,494	79.4%	2,651,793	79.9%	2,973,844	74.4%	3,137,424	72%
Full-time: 31 to 48 hours worked	224,494	79.4%	2,063,598	62.2%	2,338,716	58.4%	2,555,494	58.6%
Full-time: 49 or more hours worked			588,195	17.7%	635,128	15.9%	581,930	13.3%
Part-time	46,319	16.4%	667,341	20.1%	1,025,053	25.6%	1,222,653	28%
Part-time: 15 hours or less worked	15,812	5.6%	224,349	6.8%	346,106	8.7%	464,497	10.7%
Part-time: 16 to 30 hours worked	30,507	10.8%	442,992	13.3%	678,947	17%	758,156	17.3%
Not stated	11,831	4.1%	–	–	–	–	–	–
Total	282,644	100%	3,319,134	100%	3,998,897	100%	4,360,077	100%

Distance to travel to work

Distance to travel to work	2001[85]		2011[86]		2021[87]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Less than 2 km	475,102	14.3%	474,585	11.9%	331,191	7.6%
2 km to less than 5 km	659,230	19.9%	715,936	17.9%	484,894	11.1%
5 km to less than 10 km	803,143	24.2%	926,646	23.2%	533,671	12.2%
10 km to less than 20 km	686,960	20.7%	795,833	19.9%	409,530	9.4%
20 km to less than 30 km	128,560	3.9%	154,589	3.9%	79,897	1.8%
30 km to less than 40 km	32,812	1.0%	38,310	1.0%	23,145	0.5%
40 km to less than 60 km	25,001	0.8%	28,294	0.7%	15,808	0.4%
60 km and over	36,282	1.1%	52,083	1.3%	29,917	0.7%
Works mainly from home	285,935	8.6%	380,665	9.5%	1,836,823	42.1%
Works mainly at an offshore installation, in no fixed place, or outside the UK	186,109	5.6%	–	–	615,201	14.1%
Other	–	–	431,956	10.8%	–	–
Total	3,319,134	100%	3,998,897	100%	4,360,077	100%

Note: The proportion of people working from home in 2021 was distorted by the rules surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic.

National identity

National identity makeup of London by single year ages in 2021

National identity	2011[88]		2021[89]
	Number	%	Number	%
British only	2,526,808	30.9%	5,011,396	56.9%
English only	3,035,090	37.1%	717,894	8.2%
Welsh only	31,952	0.4%	19,167	0.2%
Scottish only	53,531	0.7%	29,943	0.3%
Northern Irish only	19,943	0.2%	13,917	0.2%
Any combination of UK only identities	–	–	14,484	0.2%
English and British only	444,115	5.4%	594,149	6.8%
Welsh and British only	7,081	0.1%	10,161	0.1%
Scottish and British only	11,344	0.1%	15,665	0.2%
Northern Irish and British only	2,530	0.0%	4,504	0.1%
Irish only	125,733	1.5%	99,780	1.1%
Irish and at least one UK identity	7,169	0.1%	16,941	0.2%
Other identity only	1,830,912	22.4%	1,878,830	21.4%
Other identity and at least one UK identity	191,771	2.3%	372,898	4.2%
Total	8,173,941	100%	8,799,729	100%

Note: The order of options for the census question on national identity was changed between 2011 and 2021. In 2011 "English only" was the first group listed whereas in 2021 "British only" was first instead.^[90]

• Population pyramids of identity groupings in 2021
• 
  English only identity
• 
  English and British identity
• 
  British only identity
• 
  UK and non-UK identity
• 
  Non-UK only identity

Housing

Tenure in London according to the 2021 census

Owned household: Total (46.8%)

Privately rented (30%)

Socially rented (23.1%)

Tenure	Year
	1961 census[91]		1981 census[92]		1991 census[93]		2001 census[94]		2011 census[95]		2021 census[96]
	Households	%	Households	%	Households	%	Households	%	Households	%	Households	%
Owned	964,934	36.3%	1,217,525	48.6%	1,579,177	57.2%	1,704,719	56.5%	1,618,315	49.5%	1,601,042	46.8%
Owned: outright	–	–	–	–	491,232		665,061		689,898		710,052
Owned: with a mortgage or loan	–	–	–	–	1,087,945		1,010,629		886,309		838,494
Shared ownership	–	–	–	–	–	–	29,029		42,108		52,496
Privately renting	1,146,807	42.4%	415,247	16.6%	382,785		520,907		819,085		1,025,533	30%
Held due to employment	61,433		–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Lives rent free	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	42,780		6,356
Social renting	484,992	18.2%	872,449	34.8%	799,167	28.9%	790,371	26.2%	785,993	24.1%	790,958	23.1%
Total	2,658,166	100%	2,505,221	100%	2,761,129	100%	3,015,997	100%	3,266,173	100%	3,423,889	100%

Tenure by country of birth

2021 census tenure by country of birth^[97]

Country of birth	Owned		Privately renting		Social renting
	Households	%	Households	%	Households	%
Europe: United Kingdom: England	956,436	57.1%	317,375	19.0%	400,222	23.9%
Europe: United Kingdom: Northern Ireland	9,249	55.5%	4,482	26.9%	2,927	17.6%
Europe: United Kingdom: Scotland	25,465	57.4%	10,838	24.4%	8,081	18.2%
Europe: United Kingdom: Wales	16,209	64.2%	6,165	24.4%	2,874	11.4%
Europe: United Kingdom: Great Britain not otherwise specified	21	33.3%	15	23.8%	27	42.9%
Europe: United Kingdom: United Kingdom not otherwise specified	97	37.7%	85	33.1%	75	29.2%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Member countries in March 2001: Ireland	30,748	52.1%	12,380	21.0%	15,879	26.9%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Member countries in March 2001: France	13,083	37.2%	19,451	55.3%	2,621	7.5%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Member countries in March 2001: Germany	11,157	46.8%	10,417	43.6%	2,291	9.6%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Member countries in March 2001: Italy	19,356	36.6%	29,912	56.6%	3,566	6.7%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Member countries in March 2001: Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores)	5,282	21.7%	12,587	51.7%	6,482	26.6%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Member countries in March 2001: Spain (including Canary Islands)	7,483	29.7%	15,014	59.6%	2,675	10.6%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Member countries in March 2001: Other member countries in March 2001	15,637	37.2%	23,300	55.5%	3,071	7.3%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Countries that joined the EU between April 2001 and March 2011: Lithuania	4,516	23.5%	12,316	64.0%	2,416	12.6%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Countries that joined the EU between April 2001 and March 2011: Poland	16,179	24.7%	41,925	63.9%	7,475	11.4%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Countries that joined the EU between April 2001 and March 2011: Romania	7,524	13.2%	47,171	82.7%	2,351	4.1%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Countries that joined the EU between April 2001 and March 2011: Other EU countries	24,334	32.9%	40,668	55.0%	8,873	12.0%
Europe: Other Europe: EU countries: Countries that joined the EU between April 2011 and March 2021: Croatia	982	37.2%	1,124	42.5%	536	20.3%
Europe: Other Europe: Rest of Europe: Turkey	8,867	24.6%	13,905	38.5%	13,346	37.0%
Europe: Other Europe: Rest of Europe: Other Europe	22,162	30.0%	38,609	52.2%	13,142	17.8%
Africa: North Africa	8,080	22.6%	12,762	35.7%	14,880	41.7%
Africa: Central and Western Africa: Ghana	9,366	25.0%	9,814	26.2%	18,269	48.8%
Africa: Central and Western Africa: Nigeria	18,150	28.4%	19,731	30.9%	25,992	40.7%
Africa: Central and Western Africa: Other Central and Western Africa	4,846	11.2%	12,535	29.1%	25,696	59.7%
Africa: South and Eastern Africa: Kenya	22,667	75.4%	3,564	11.9%	3,833	12.7%
Africa: South and Eastern Africa: Somalia	968	2.7%	8,367	23.4%	26,371	73.9%
Africa: South and Eastern Africa: South Africa	12,381	48.9%	11,002	43.5%	1,934	7.6%
Africa: South and Eastern Africa: Zimbabwe	3,405	36.6%	3,246	34.9%	2,645	28.5%
Africa: South and Eastern Africa: Other South and Eastern Africa	27,493	42.5%	11,893	18.4%	25,251	39.1%
Africa: Africa not otherwise specified	511	48.3%	166	15.7%	381	36.0%
Middle East and Asia: Middle East: Iran	8,742	34.7%	10,823	43.0%	5,626	22.3%
Middle East and Asia: Middle East: Iraq	4,575	27.8%	6,617	40.2%	5,261	32.0%
Middle East and Asia: Middle East: Other Middle East	9,968	30.9%	16,483	51.0%	5,840	18.1%
Middle East and Asia: Eastern Asia: China	12,700	50.3%	10,363	41.1%	2,170	8.6%
Middle East and Asia: Eastern Asia: Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China)	9,597	61.6%	4,802	30.8%	1,184	7.6%
Middle East and Asia: Eastern Asia: Other Eastern Asia	6,051	38.7%	8,634	55.3%	932	6.0%
Middle East and Asia: Southern Asia: Afghanistan	3,321	17.4%	9,042	47.4%	6,726	35.2%
Middle East and Asia: Southern Asia: India	74,556	57.0%	47,241	36.1%	8,964	6.9%
Middle East and Asia: Southern Asia: Pakistan	23,156	43.3%	20,625	38.5%	9,726	18.2%
Middle East and Asia: Southern Asia: Bangladesh	15,991	26.1%	18,171	29.6%	27,194	44.3%
Middle East and Asia: Southern Asia: Sri Lanka	18,435	49.3%	13,811	37.0%	5,125	13.7%
Middle East and Asia: Southern Asia: Other Southern Asia	3,493	48.4%	3,154	43.7%	577	8.0%
Middle East and Asia: South-East Asia: Philippines	7,381	31.8%	10,239	44.1%	5,581	24.1%
Middle East and Asia: South-East Asia: Malaysia	6,654	64.8%	2,768	26.9%	851	8.3%
Middle East and Asia: South-East Asia: Singapore	2,942	59.5%	1,682	34.0%	320	6.5%
Middle East and Asia: South-East Asia: Other South-East Asia	6,848	38.6%	4,961	28.0%	5,937	33.5%
Middle East and Asia: Central Asia	818	31.0%	1,500	56.8%	321	12.2%
The Americas and the Caribbean: North America: United States	12,397	41.1%	16,279	54.0%	1,464	4.9%
The Americas and the Caribbean: North America: Canada	5,223	47.3%	5,296	48.0%	522	4.7%
The Americas and the Caribbean: North America: Other North America	172	32.8%	309	58.9%	44	8.4%
The Americas and the Caribbean: Central America: All Central American countries	1,051	30.1%	2,145	61.5%	294	8.4%
The Americas and the Caribbean: South America: All South American countries	15,468	23.7%	37,044	56.8%	12,693	19.5%
The Americas and the Caribbean: The Caribbean: Jamaica	18,376	36.0%	7,625	14.9%	25,010	49.0%
The Americas and the Caribbean: The Caribbean: Other Caribbean	13,724	42.4%	5,723	17.7%	12,895	39.9%
Antarctica and Oceania: Australasia: Australia	10,400	46.7%	11,061	49.7%	798	3.6%
Antarctica and Oceania: Australasia: New Zealand	5,641	53.6%	4,364	41.4%	525	5.0%
Antarctica and Oceania: Australasia: Other Australasia	5	45.5%	5	45.5%	1	9.1%
Antarctica and Oceania: Other Oceania and Antarctica	695	58.4%	305	25.6%	190	16.0%
Other	7	58.3%	1	8.3%	4	33.3%

Education

Level of qualification

Level of qualification	London (aged 16 and over, not in education)
	2001[98]		2011[99]		2021[100]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
No qualifications	1,257,929	23.7%	1,152,517	17.6%	1,151,250	16.2%
Level 1 and entry level qualifications	689,228	13.0%	702,687	10.7%	545,269	7.7%
Level 2 qualifications	904,205	17.1%	775,928	11.8%	707,518	10.0%
Apprenticeship	–	–	107,665	1.6%	227,622	3.2%
Level 3 qualifications	518,624	9.8%	685,508	10.5%	937,875	13.2%
Level 4 qualifications or above	1,642,467	31.0%	2,470,225	37.7%	3,316,829	46.7%
Other qualifications	287,879	5.4%	654,643	10.0%	217,622	3.1%
Total	5,300,332	100%	6,549,173	100%	7,103,985	100%

See also

• England portal
• London portal

• Demographics of the United Kingdom
• Demographics of England
• Demographics of Birmingham
• Demographics of Greater Manchester
• Religion in London
• Religion in England
• List of English cities by population
• List of English districts by population
• List of English districts and their ethnic composition
• List of English districts by area
• List of English districts by population density