London's population over time
Key points
- About 7.8 million people lived in London in 2010.
- The population is still below the levels seen in the 1950s and the early 1960s.
- London has a higher birth rate than the rest of England because it has a younger population overall.
Population in Inner and Outer London
What does the graph show?
The population of London, both Inner and Outer, has been growing steadily since the 1980s. In 2010, some 7.8 million people lived in London, of which just over 3 million were in Inner London. London's population is now much higher than its 1980s low point, but it is still lower than its 1950s high point. The size of the current population is not unprecedented.
Growth in Inner London in the last decade has been greater in relative and absolute terms than in Outer London. But Outer London still accounts for 60% of the total.
One of the reasons why London has grown, and grown at a faster rate than other English regions, is because of its high birth rate. In 2009, there were 130,000 live births in London. The capital accounts for around one-seventh of England's population, but around one-fifth of its births. In London, the ratio of births to deaths is around 2 to 1. In the rest of the country it is around 1.25 to 1. So in London births outnumber deaths to a much greater extent than elsewhere.
Data used
Census data for 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001 ,ONS mid year estimates for 2010
Indicator last updated: 27 January 2012
Topic:
Groups:
Boroughs:
- Barking and Dagenham
- Barnet
- Bexley
- Brent
- Bromley
- Camden
- City of London
- Croydon
- Ealing
- Enfield
- Greenwich
- Hackney
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Haringey
- Harrow
- Havering
- Hillingdon
- Hounslow
- Islington
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Kingston upon Thames
- Lambeth
- Lewisham
- Merton
- Newham
- Redbridge
- Richmond upon Thames
- Southwark
- Sutton
- Tower Hamlets
- Waltham Forest
- Wandsworth
- Westminster
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Glossary
Outer London:
Barking & Dagenham, Barnet, Bromley, Bexley, Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Waltham Forest
Inner London:
Camden, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Westminster