London's Population

Section Index

Size and diversity

London in 2009:

the capital had 7.8 million people,
Londoners made up 15% of England’s population and 13% of the UK
35% of Londoners were between 24 to 44 years old
19% of London's workforce commuted into the capital
21% of Londoners came from over 33 different countries
at least 300 languages are spoken in London
between 2008 and 2028 London’s population is projected to increase by 16% and reach 8.9 million people

Ethnicity in London

London is very diverse compared with other UK cities as most ethnic groups have a greater representation in the capital than in other parts of the country.

There is also tremendous diversity between and within London boroughs.

For example, inner London boroughs with high ethnic diversity include Camden, Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Newham and Tower Hamlets. Outer London boroughs with ethnically diverse populations include Barnet, Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Hounslow, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.

London in 2009:

of 7.8 million Londoners, 1.6 million (21%) came from over 33 different countries
non-white groups made up 31% of London’s population while it varied from 5 to 14% in other English regions
London is home to half of the English population of Black or Black British people and of Bangladeshis.

Click here to view a chart on ethnic diversity in London.

Population growth and ageing

London has a younger population than other UK regions.

In 2009, over 35% of London's population was 24-44 years old, which was nearly 10% higher than in other UK regions.

Only 15% of Londoners were 60 years old or older, about 7% less than in other UK regions.

However, the elderly population in London is projected to grow rapidly. The over-65s are likely to increase by 33% (over 280,000) to reach 1.15 million by 2031, and the over-90s are expected to almost double to 94,000.

Click on the following links to download bar charts:

Local and international movements

London's population is highly mobile. Thousands of workers commute into the capital daily and there are high levels of internal migration and immigration flows.

Commuting: in 2009 19% (about 790,000) of London’s 4.2 million workforce commuted into the capital, largely from East Anglia and the South East.

Download a chart of place of work and residence.

Immigration: London is the first destination of choice for immigration into the UK - nearly 30% of the 590,000 immigrants arriving in the UK in 2008 moved to London.

Internal migration: in 2008 30% (56,700) of people leaving the South East moved to London. However, 223,000 people moved out of London and 72% of these went to the East of England, the South West or the South East.

Download a chart of immigration to London and internal migration.

Data sources

Figures and charts in this section are based on Office of National Statistics (ONS) Regional Trends September 2010. Data are presented under the Open Government Licence v.1.0.