Census 2001 - London and its people
Steady growth, most single people

London comprises the City of London, and the 32 boroughs, of which 13 are in Inner London and 19 are in Outer London

 Population      Marital status and types of household      Ethnicity    
 Country of birth      Religion      Health      Economic activity    
 Occupation and Industry      Method of transport to work    
 Housing and households      Background Notes

The London region is one of the faster growing regions in the country in terms of population and has the largest minority ethnic population and the lowest proportion of owner occupiers.

Some of the main points from the census show:

• The population increased by 5 per cent - over 340,000 people - between 1991 and 2001. Of the English regions, only the East and the South West grew faster.
• In Inner London, half of adults are single compared with 30 per cent across England as a whole. Fewer than one third are married or remarried compared with 51 per cent in England.
• It has a smaller proportion of households with married couples, with or without children, than any other region of England.
• In London, 60 per cent of people are White British compared with an average of 87 per cent in England.
• London has the highest proportion in the country of each minority ethnic group except Pakistani.
• It has the highest proportion of people of each of the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist religions, and of people of other religions.
• It has the highest proportion of people working in administrative and secretarial occupations.
• The highest proportion of people who travel to work by public transport and the lowest who travel by motor vehicle or on foot live in London.
• Just under a quarter of people aged 16 to 74 have no qualifications, but London has the highest percentage of people in England with degrees or professional qualifications.
• Over 17 per cent of households were defined as overcrowded compared with 7 per cent for England as a whole.
• Nearly 38 per cent of households do not have access to either a car or van compared with almost 27 per cent in England as a whole.

Population

London's population was 7,172,000 at Census Day, April 2001, 14.6 per cent of the total population of England. In 1991 London's population accounted for 14.3 per cent of England's population. The largest changes in population were in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Brent, which all had increases of over 20,000.

The age structure of people living in London is not typical of England as a whole. There is a greater proportion of people aged between 20 and 44 in both Inner London (48 per cent) and Outer London (39 per cent) than for England (35 per cent).

Although the proportions of under-20s are similar for London and England (25 per cent), the percentages of people aged 45 and over are lower, particularly in Inner London (28 per cent) than for England (40 per cent).

Marital status and types of household

The only two districts in England where fewer than 6 per cent of adults are divorced are Harrow and Brent.

Inner London (28 per cent) has a much higher proportion of single non-pensioner households than any other part of the country. The highest proportion is found in the City of London (46 per cent). The 12 local authorities with the highest percentage of such households are all in Inner London.

In Inner London, 14 per cent of households comprise a non-pensioner married couple with children. Among the districts, the proportions ranged from 6 per cent in the City of London to 29 per cent in Harrow.

London and the North West region have the highest proportion of lone-parent households. In both Newham and Barking and Dagenham, over 15 per cent of households consisted of lone parents with children.

Ethnicity

The highest proportions of people in the White Irish group are in Brent and Islington (both over 5 per cent). These are the highest proportions of this ethnic group in England.

More than 20 per cent of people described themselves as Other White in Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. These two boroughs have the highest proportions in the country of this group.

Inner London has higher proportions than Outer London of each of the mixed and black minority groups, but there are more Indians and Pakistanis in Outer London. There are more Bangladeshis in Inner London than Outer London.

Country of birth

Brent (51 per cent) has the lowest proportion of people born in England and the highest proportion of people born outside the EU (38 per cent).

The percentage of London's population who were born outside the UK rose from 22 per cent in 1991 to 27 per cent in 2001.

Religion

The proportion of people who stated they are Christian is lower in London than in England as a whole, with 58 per cent describing themselves as Christian compared with the English average of 72 per cent. The highest proportion of Christians in London is in Havering (76 per cent). The lowest percentage was in Tower Hamlets (39 per cent).

Eight per cent of people in London are Muslim, including 36 per cent of the population of Tower Hamlets and 24 per cent of the population of Newham. In London, 15.8 per cent of people stated they have no religion.

Health

London (70.8 per cent) has a higher proportion of people who say their health has been 'good' over the previous 12 months than the average for England (68.8 per cent), and lower proportions in all the categories relating to poor health.

The lowest proportions of people in London with a limiting long-term illness are in the City of London (13.3 per cent) and Wandsworth (13.4 per cent). The highest proportion was in Barking and Dagenham, with just under 20 per cent.

Economic activity

London has a lower proportion of people who work part-time than any other region.

Both Inner (41.5 per cent) and Outer London (43.4 per cent) have higher proportions of people in full-time work than the England average (40.8 per cent). In Wandsworth and City of London more than half of 16-74 year olds are working as full-time employees.

Occupation and Industry

In Inner London, 57 per cent of people work in managerial and professional occupations compared with an average for England of 40 per cent.

Method of transport to work

In Inner London, over half of workers travel to work by public transport and less than a quarter by motor vehicle. However, in Outer London, there are more motor vehicle users than people travelling to work by public transport.

Housing and households

Inner London has the lowest proportion of owner occupiers in England, 38 per cent compared with an average for England of 68 per cent. The proportion of owner occupiers in Outer London, at 67 per cent, is slightly below the national average.

In Inner London, 38 per cent of households are renting from a social landlord (council or housing association) and 22 per cent from a private landlord, compared with averages across England of 19 per cent and 12 per cent respectively.

Background Notes

1. Census day was 29 April 2001. Census data give a snapshot picture of the country at this time. Population counts by age and sex for England and Wales, Wales, regions of England and English and Welsh local authorities were published on 30 September 2002.

2. The Office for National Statistics is responsible for the census in England and Wales. The Census in Scotland and in Northern Ireland is carried out by the General Register Office for Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency respectively. Census data for Scotland and Northern Ireland are released separately.

3. Detailed Census results published today are mainly for England and Wales and its regions and local authorities. Individual press releases are available for Wales and each of the nine English Government Office Regions: North West, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, East Midlands, South West, South East, London and the East. Press releases covering six key Census topic areas are also issued today: Ethnicity and religion, Families, Health, Households, People and places, Work. Census data published today are available free on the National Statistics website: www.statistics.gov.uk/census/

4. Further releases of Census data will take place through Spring and Summer 2003. In March/April there will be cross-tabulated data, followed by data down to small area/ward level. In the summer will begin a series of multi-source topic reports which draw upon other sources in addition to census to provide detailed pictures of specific topics and areas.

5. Details of the policy governing the release of new data are available from the press office.

6. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference. © Crown copyright 2003.