Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Evening Standard

World

Josh Salisbury

Census 2021: London’s population increased by 626,000 in decade as England records largest population yet

London England London Councils Wales

A woman logs on to the Census 2021 website
(Picture: PA Archive)

London gained an extra 626,000 people between 2011 and 2021, according to initial results from last year’s census, while England and Wales has recorded its highest population yet.

The capital saw an increase in its population over the decade of 7.7%, reaching a total of 8.8m people in 2021, up from 8.2 million residents.

The data from the Office for National Statistics, released Tuesday, shows that England and Wales' usual resident population was 59,597,300 on Census Day, 21 March 2021.

This is the largest population ever recorded through a census in England and Wales, said statisticians, and an increase of more than 3.5 million people a decade before.

According to the census, Tower Hamlets increased its population by more than a fifth, the largest percentage increase of any London borough, and the biggest percentage increase in population recorded of any local authority in England and Wales.

Other London boroughs which recorded the biggest percentage increases in the capital were Barking and Dagenham, the City of London, Newham and Greenwich, all of which recorded population growths of more than 10 per cent.

While most London boroughs recorded increases in their populations, three recorded falls: Camden, Westminster, and Kensington & Chelsea.

However, London Councils, which represents the boroughs, warned it believed the census data for the capital should be treated with caution because it was conducted during lockdown and London has high rates of homelessness and digital exclusion which may also impact the data.

This is important, it said, because census data is used to calculate funding towards boroughs and public services.

“Billions of pounds for frontline services are at stake,” said Cllr Georgia Gould, the group’s chair.

“Counting London’s diverse population is an incredible challenge even at the best of times due to our high levels of migration, homelessness and population churn. The lockdown will have undoubtedly made this worse, particularly for communities who suffer from digital exclusion”.

She added: ““We are concerned that, without looking at the data in the context of the challenges the pandemic created, Londoners will lose out.”

The ONS also stressed: “Population change in certain areas may reflect how the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic affected people’s choice of usual residence on census day.

“These changes might have been temporary for some and more long-lasting for others.”

According to the census, Kensington & Chelsea saw the biggest fall in population of any local authority in England and Wales, recording a decrease of 9.6 per cent in its population.

Westminster recorded a population fall of 6.9 per cent, while Camden’s fell by 4.6 per cent.

The new figures also showed nearly one-in-five people (18.6%) are aged 65 and over in England and Wales, up from 16.4% in 2011.

They also reveal that 51% of the population is female, and 49% is male.

The census takes place across the UK every 10 years and provides the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in the country.

Its results are used by a range of organisations including governments, councils and businesses, with the data underpinning many other vital statistics.

More data from the 2021 census for England and Wales will be published in stages over the next two years, the ONS said.

Future releases will include figures on ethnicity, religion, the labour market, education and housing, and for the first time, information on UK armed forces veterans, sexual orientation and gender identity.