London

• Greater London


  32 boroughs covering an area of 1569km2
• London's population was 7.2m


  2001
• London's population is estimated to reach 9.2m

  2021
• London is the 6th youngest city in the UK with an average age of 37
• Youthful dependent population increasing

  Numbers of 0-9 year olds increased from 2001 to 2016
• Economically active getting older

  1. In 2001 Londoners' modal age was 28, in 2016 it was 31 (3 years older)

  2. The largest age group are 25-35-year olds

  3. Positive 'national' net migration to London shows more 20-year olds arrive than leave

  4. All other age groups are leaving the capital, mostly commuting into the capital by train (800,000 commuters enter London daily)
• Elderly dependent population


  London is growing older, with the number of people aged 65 set to grow to 1.2 million by 2024
• In 2017 3.6m Londoners were born abroad (out of 8.7m Londoners)
• Positive net migration of foreign-born people

  +860,000 from 2009 to 2017 (mostly from EU)
• Negative net migration of British people

  • 550,000
• Reason for 'white flight'

  High cost of living in London so Londoners in all age groups except 20s are leaving London
• Reason for BAME increasing

  Migrants entering the UK to work and to join families and friends already in London
• The proportion of Black and Ethnic Minorities (BAME) in London is increasing from 28.9% in 2001 to 44% in 2015
• Reason for BAME increase

  Commonwealth migration: Due to the UK's historic links to the Commonwealth, in the 1950s and 1960s Commonwealth citizens many from the Caribbean and South Asia were able to freely migrate to the UK to work
• 'White-flight'


  1. In 2001 60% of Londoners were white British but by 2011 this had declined to 45% (down by 15%)

  2. White British are now a minority ethnic group in London (less than 50%)

  3. The change was driven by an increase in non-white-British immigrants from Poland (110k to 190k), Romania (30k to 120k), South Asians from India (235k to 300k) and Pakistan, and Black Africans from Nigeria from 2007 to 2016
• Reason for 'white-flight'


  EU Expansion: Poland joined the EU in 2004 and Romania in 2007 and under freedom of movement were allowed to live and work in the UK