The population of London was approximately 8.9 million in 2023, an increase of over two million people when compared with the early 1980s. Throughout the 1980s, the population of the United Kingdom's capital grew at a relatively slow rate, before accelerating to a much faster rate in the 1990s. London is by far the largest city / urban agglomeration in the United Kingdom, more than three times larger than the next largest cities of Manchester and Birmingham. London’s forecasted population is expected to continue growing at much the same pace it has been growing since the mid-1990s and reach almost 9.8 million by 2042. London boroughs As of 2022, the London borough with the highest population was Croydon, at approximately 392,224, followed by Barnet at 389,101. Overall, London is divided into 33 different boroughs, with London's historic center, the City of London having by far the smallest population, at just 10,847. Residents of the City of London, however, have the highest average median weekly earnings among all of London's boroughs, at 1,138 pounds per week, compared with just 588 pounds per week in Redbridge, the lowest average weekly earnings among London boroughs. While the overall unemployment rate for London was 4.3 percent in early 2023, this ranged from 6.8 percent in Brent, to just 2.3 percent in Kingston upon Thames.
Economic imbalance Aside from being the UK's largest city in terms of population, London is also undoubtedly the UK's cultural, political and economic center. As of 2021, the GDP of Greater London was approximately 496.4 billion British pounds, just over 23 percent of the UK's overall GDP. In the same year, GDP per person in London was 56,431 pounds compared with the UK average of 31,947 pounds. Additionally, productivity in London is far higher than the UK average. As measured by output per hour worked, London was 33.2 percent more productive than the rest of the UK.

These profiles help paint a general picture of an area by presenting a range of headline indicator data in both spreadsheet and map form to help show statistics covering demographic, economic, social and environmental datasets for each borough, alongside relevant comparator areas.

The full datasets and more information for each of the indicators are usually available on the London Datastore. A link to each of the datasets is contained in the spreadsheet and map.

Borough Profiles - Excel

On opening the spreadsheet a simple drop down box allows you to choose which borough profile you are interested in. Selecting this will display data for that borough, plus either Inner or Outer London, London and a national comparator (usually England where data is available).

To see the full set of data for all 33 local authorities in London plus the comparator areas in Excel, click the 'Data' worksheet.

A chart and a map are also available to help visualise the data for all boroughs (macros must be enabled for the Excel map to function).

The data is set out across 11 themes covering most of the key indicators relating to demographic, economic, social and environmental data. Sources are provided in the spreadsheet. Notes about the indicator are provided in comment boxes attached to the indicator names.

Profiles using interactive mapping

For a geographical and bar chart representation of the profile data, open this interactive report. Choose indicators from the left hand side. Click on the comparators to make them appear on the chart and map.

Sources, links to data, and notes are all contained in the box in the bottom right hand corner.

These profiles include data relating to: Population, Households (census), Demographics, Migrant population, Ethnicity, Language, Employment, NEET, Benefits, Qualifications, Earnings, Volunteering, Jobs density, Business Survival, Crime, Fires, House prices, New homes, Tenure, Greenspace, Recycling, Carbon Emissions, Cars, Public Transport Accessibility (PTAL), Indices of Multiple Deprivation, GCSE results, Children looked after, Children in out-of-work families, Life Expectancy, Teenage conceptions, Happiness levels, Political control, and Election turnout.

Data is correct as of September 2014.

London Borough Atlas

To access even more data at local authority level, use the London Borough Atlas. It contains data about the same topics as the profiles but provides further detailed breakdowns and time-series data for each borough.

The London boroughs are: City of London, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, 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.

You may also find our small area profiles useful - Ward, LSOA, and MSOA.

This MSOA atlas provides a summary of demographic and related data for each Middle Super Output Area in Greater London. The average population of an MSOA in London in 2010 was 8,346, compared with 1,722 for an LSOA and 13,078 for a ward.

The profiles are designed to provide an overview of the population in these small areas by combining a range of data on the population, births, deaths, health, housing, crime, commercial property/floorspace, income, poverty, benefits, land use, environment, deprivation, schools, and employment.

If you need to find an MSOA and you know the postcode of the area, the ONS NESS search page has a tool for this.

The MSOA Atlas is available as an XLS as well as being presented using InstantAtlas mapping software. This is a useful tool for displaying a large amount of data for numerous geographies, in one place (requires HTML 5).

CURRENT MSOA BOUNDARIES (2011)

Excel

Instant Atlas

PREVIOUS MSOA BOUNDARIES (2001)

Excel

Instant Atlas

NB. It is currently not possible to export the map as a picture due to a software issue with the Google Maps background. We advise you to print screen to copy an image to the clipboard.

Tips:

1. - Select a new indicator from the Data box on the left. Select the theme, then indicator and then year to show the data.

2. - To view data just for one borough*, use the filter tool.

3. - The legend settings can be altered by clicking on the pencil icon next to the MSOA tick box within the map legend.

4. - The areas can be ranked in order by clicking at the top of the indicator column of the data table.

Themes included here are Census 2011 Population, Mid-year Estimates, Population by Broad Age, Households, Household composition, Ethnic Group, Country of Birth, Language, Religion, Tenure, Dwelling type, Land Area, Population Density, Births, General Fertility Rate, Deaths, Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR), Population Turnover Rates (per 1000), Crime (numbers), Crime (rates), House Prices, Commercial property (number), Rateable Value (£ per m2), Floorspace; ('000s m2), Household Income, Household Poverty, County Court Judgements (2005), Qualifications, Economic Activity, Employees, Employment, Claimant Count, Pupil Absence, Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1, GCSE and Equivalent, Health, Air Emissions, Car or Van availability, Income Deprivation, Central Heating, Incidence of Cancer, Life Expectancy, and Road Casualties.

• The London boroughs are: City of London, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, 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.

These profiles were created using the most up to date information available at the time of collection (Spring 2014).

You may also be interested in LSOA Atlas and Ward Atlas.

The ward profiles and ward atlas provide a range of demographic and related data for each ward in Greater London. They are designed to provide an overview of the population in these small areas by presenting a range of data on the population, diversity, households, life expectancy, housing, crime, benefits, land use, deprivation, and employment.

Indicators included here are population by age and sex, land area, projections, population density, household composition, religion, ethnicity, birth rates (general fertility rate), death rates (standardised mortality ratio), life expectancy, average house prices, properties sold, housing by council tax band, tenure, mortgage and landlord home repossession, employment and economic activity, Incapacity Benefit, Income Support and JobSeekers Allowance claimant rates, dependent children receiving child-tax credits by lone parents and out-of-work families, National Insurance Number registration rates for overseas nationals (NINo), GCSE results, pupil absence, crime rates (by type of crime), fires, ambulance call outs, road casualties, happiness and well-being, land use, access to public transport (PTALs), access to public greenspace, access to nature, air emissions / quality, car use, bicycle travel, Indices of Deprivation, and election turnout.

The **Ward Profiles **present key summary measures for the most recent year, using both Excel and InstantAtlas mapping software. This is a useful tool for displaying a large amount of data for numerous geographies, in one place.

The Ward Atlas presents a more detailed version of the data including trend data and generally includes the raw numbers as opposed to percentages or rates.

The Instant Atlas reports use HTML5 technology, which can be used in modern browsers, including on Apple machines, but will not function on older browsers.

WARD PROFILES

Compare the ward measure against the Borough, London and National average.

Excel

PDF

Instant Atlas HTML5

WARD ATLAS

Access the raw data for all London wards.

Excel

Instant Atlas HTML5

Tips:

1. - Select a new indicator from the Data box on the left. Select the theme, then indicator and then year to show the data.

2. - To view data just for one borough*, use the filter tool.

3. - The legend settings can be altered by clicking on the pencil icon next to the Wards tick box within the map legend.

4. - The wards can be ranked in order by clicking at the top of the indicator column of the data table.

Note: Additional indicator information and sources are included within the spreadsheet and Instant Atlas report.

OTHER SMALL AREA PROFILES

Other profiles available include LSOA and MSOA atlases.

Data from these profiles were used to create the Well-being scores tool.

• The London boroughs are: City of London, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, 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.

These profiles were created using the most up to date information available at the time of collection (February 2014).

The ward profiles and ward atlas provide a range of demographic and related data for each ward in Greater London. They are designed to provide an overview of the population in these small areas by presenting a range of data on the population, diversity, households, life expectancy, housing, crime, benefits, land use, deprivation, and employment. Indicators included here are population by age and sex, land area, projections, population density, household composition, religion, ethnicity, birth rates (general fertility rate), death rates (standardised mortality ratio), life expectancy, average house prices, properties sold, housing by council tax band, tenure, property size (bedrooms), dwelling build period and type, mortgage and landlord home repossession, employment and economic activity, Incapacity Benefit, Housing Benefit, Household income, Income Support and JobSeekers Allowance claimant rates, dependent children receiving child-tax credits by lone parents and out-of-work families, child poverty, National Insurance Number registration rates for overseas nationals (NINo), GCSE results, A-level / Level 3 results (average point scores), pupil absence, child obesity, crime rates (by type of crime), fires, ambulance call outs, road casualties, happiness and well-being, land use, public transport accessibility (PTALs), access to public greenspace, access to nature, air emissions / quality, car use, bicycle travel, Indices of Deprivation, and election turnout. The Ward Profiles present key summary measures for the most recent year, using both Excel and InstantAtlas mapping software. This is a useful tool for displaying a large amount of data for numerous geographies, in one place. The Ward Atlas presents a more detailed version of the data including trend data and generally includes the raw numbers as opposed to percentages or rates. The Instant Atlas reports use HTML5 technology, which can be used in modern browsers, including on Apple machines, but will not function on older browsers. WARD PROFILES Compare the ward measure against the Borough, London and National average. WARD ATLAS Access the raw data for all London wards. WARD ATLAS FOR 2014 BOUNDARIES In May 2014, ward boundaries changed in Hackney, Kensington and Chelsea, and Tower Hamlets. This version of the ward atlas gives data for these new wards, as well as retaining data on the unchanged wards in the rest of London for comparison purposes. Data for boroughs has also been included. Very few datasets have been published for the new ward boundaries, so the majority of data contained in this atlas have been modelled using a method of proportion of households from the old boundaries that are located in the new boundaries. Therefore, the data contained in this atlas are indicative only. Instant Atlas for 2014 Ward Atlas Tips: - Select a new indicator from the Data box on the left. Select the theme, then indicator and then year to show the data. - To view data just for one borough*, use the filter tool. - Some legend settings can be altered by clicking on the cog icon next to the Wards tick box within the map legend. - The wards can be ranked in order by clicking at the top of the indicator column of the data table. Note: Additional indicator information and sources are included within the spreadsheet and Instant Atlas report. OTHER SMALL AREA PROFILES Other profiles available include Borough, LSOA and MSOA atlases. Data from these profiles were used to create the Well-being scores tool. *The London boroughs are: City of London, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, 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. These profiles were created using the most up to date information available at the time of collection (September 2015).

In 2023, Croydon had the largest population among London's 32 boroughs at 397,741, while Kensington and Chelsea had the smallest population, at 147,460.

The LSOA atlas provides a summary of demographic and related data for each Lower Super Output Area in Greater London. The average population of an LSOA in London in 2010 was 1,722 compared with 8,346 for an MSOA and 13,078 for a ward.

The profiles are designed to provide an overview of the population in these small areas by combining a range of data on the population, diversity, households, health, housing, crime, benefits, land use, deprivation, schools, and employment.

Due to significant population change in some areas, not all 2011 LSOA boundaries are the same as previous LSOA boundaries that had been used from 2001. A lot of data is still only available using the 2001 boundaries therefore two Atlases have been created - one using the current LSOA boundaries (2011) and one using the previous boundaries (2001).

If you need to find an LSOA and you know the postcode of the area, the ONS NESS search page has a tool for this.

The LSOA Atlas is available as an XLS as well as being presented using InstantAtlas mapping software. This is a useful tool for displaying a large amount of data for numerous geographies, in one place (requires HTML 5).

CURRENT LSOA BOUNDARIES (2011)

NOTE: There is comparatively less data for the new boundaries compared with the old boundaries

Excel

Instant Atlas

PREVIOUS LSOA BOUNDARIES (2001)

Excel

Instant Atlas

For 2011 Census data used in the 2001 Boundaries Atlas: For simplicity, where two or more areas have been merged, the figures for these areas have been divided by the number of LSOAs that used to make that area up. Therefore, these data are not official ONS statisitcs, but presented here as indicative to display trends.

NB. It is currently not possible to export the map as a picture due to a software issue with the Google Maps background. We advise you to print screen to copy an image to the clipboard.

IMPORTANT: Due to the large amount of data and areas, the LSOA Atlas may take up to a minute to fully load. Once loaded, the report will work more efficiently by using the filter tool and selecting one borough at a time. Displaying every LSOA in London will slow down the data reload.

Tips:

1. - Select a new indicator from the Data box on the left. Select the theme, then indicator and then year to show the data.

2. - To view data just for one borough, use the filter tool.

3. - The legend settings can be altered by clicking on the pencil icon next to the LSOA tick box within the map legend.

4. - The areas can be ranked in order by clicking at the top of the indicator column of the data table.

Beware of large file size for 2001 Boundary Atlas (58MB) alternatively download Zip file (21MB).

Themes included in the atlases are Census 2011 population, Mid-year Estimates by age, Population Density, Households, Household Composition, Ethnic Group, Language, Religion, Country of Birth, Tenure, Number of dwellings, Vacant Dwellings, Dwellings by Council Tax Band, Crime (numbers), Crime (rates), Economic Activity, Qualifications, House Prices, Workplace employment numbers, Claimant Count, Employment and Support Allowance, Benefits claimants, State Pension, Pension Credit, Incapacity Benefit/ SDA, Disability Living Allowance, Income Support, Financial vulnerability, Health and Disability, Land use, Air Emissions, Energy consumption, Car or Van access, Accessibility by Public Transport/walk, Road Casualties, Child Benefit, Child Poverty, Lone Parent Families, Out-of-Work families, Fuel Poverty, Free School Meals, Pupil Absence, Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, GCSE, Level 3 (e.g A/AS level), The Indices of Deprivation 2010, Economic Deprivation Index, and The IMD 2010 Underlying Indicators.

The London boroughs are: City of London, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, 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.

These profiles were created using the most up to date information available at the time of collection (Spring 2014).

You may also be interested in MSOA Atlas and Ward Atlas.

The London Borough Profiles help paint a general picture of an area by presenting a range of headline indicator data in both spreadsheet and map form to help show statistics covering demographic, economic, social and environmental datasets for each borough, alongside relevant comparator areas. The London Borough Atlas does the same but provides further detailed breakdowns and time-series data for each borough. The full datasets and more information for each of the indicators are usually available on the London Datastore. A link to each of the datasets is contained in the spreadsheet and map.

London Borough Profiles

On opening the Microsoft Excel version, a simple drop down box allows you to choose which borough profile you are interested in. Selecting this will display data for that borough, plus either Inner or Outer London, London and a national comparator (usually England where data is available). To see the full set of data for all 33 local authorities in London plus the comparator areas in Excel, click the 'Data' worksheet. A chart and a map are also available to help visualise the data for all boroughs (macros must be enabled for the Excel map to function). The data is set out across 11 themes covering most of the key indicators relating to demographic, economic, social and environmental data. Sources are provided in the spreadsheet. Notes about the indicator are provided in comment boxes attached to the indicator names. For a geographical and bar chart representation of the profile data, choose the InstantAtlas version. Choose indicators from the left hand side. Click on the comparators to make them appear on the chart and map. Sources, links to data, and notes are all contained in the box in the bottom right hand corner.

These profiles include data relating to: Population, Households (census), Demographics, Migrant population, Ethnicity, Language, Employment, NEET, DWP Benefits (client group), Housing Benefit, Qualifications, Earnings, Volunteering, Jobs density, Business Survival, Crime, Fires, House prices, New homes, Tenure, Greenspace, Recycling, Carbon Emissions, Cars, Public Transport Accessibility (PTAL), Indices of Multiple Deprivation, GCSE results, Children looked after, Children in out-of-work families, Life Expectancy, Teenage conceptions, Happiness levels, Political control, and Election turnout.

London Borough Atlas

To access even more data at local authority level, use the London Borough Atlas. It contains data about the same topics as the profiles but provides further detailed breakdowns and time-series data for each borough. There is also an InstantAtlas version available.

The London boroughs are: City of London, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, 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. You may also find our small area profiles useful - Ward, LSOA, and "/dataset/msoa-atlas">MS