The demography of London is analysed by the Office for National Statistics and data is produced for each of the Greater London wards, the City of London and the 32 London boroughs, the Inner London and Outer London statistical sub-regions, each of the Parliamentary constituencies in London, and for all of Greater London as a whole. Additionally, data is produced for the Greater London Urban Area. Statistical information is produced about the size and geographical breakdown of the population, the number of people entering and leaving country and the number of people in each demographic subgroup.
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The historical population for the current area of Greater London, divided into the statistical areas of Inner and Outer London is as follows:[1][2][3]
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | 879,491 | 1,040,033 | 1,263,975 | 1,515,557 | 1,661,346 | 1,995,846 | 2,634,143 | 3,272,441 | 3,910,735 | 4,422,340 |
| Outer London | 131,666 | 157,640 | 186,147 | 214,392 | 255,667 | 290,763 | 460,248 | 629,737 | 799,225 | 1,143,516 |
| Greater London | 1,011,157 | 1,197,673 | 1,450,122 | 1,729,949 | 1,917,013 | 2,286,609 | 3,094,391 | 3,902,178 | 4,709,960 | 5,565,856 |
| Year | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | 4,670,177 | 4,997,741 | 4,936,803 | 4,887,932 | 4,224,135 | 3,680,821 | 3,336,557 | 3,030,490 | 2,425,534 | 2,625,245 | 2,765,975 |
| Outer London | 1,556,317 | 2,160,134 | 2,616,723 | 3,211,010 | 3,763,801 | 4,483,595 | 4,444,785 | 4,418,694 | 4,182,979 | 4,262,035 | 4,406,061 |
| Greater London | 6,226,494 | 7,157,875 | 7,553,526 | 8,098,942 | 7,987,936 | 8,164,416 | 7,781,342 | 7,449,184 | 6,608,513 | 6,887,280 | 7,172,036 |
| 2001 United Kingdom Census[4] | |
|---|---|
| Country of birth | Population |
| United Kingdom | 5,230,155 |
| India | 172,162 |
| Republic of Ireland | 157,285 |
| Bangladesh | 84,565 |
| Jamaica | 80,319 |
| Nigeria | 68,907 |
| Pakistan | 66,658 |
| Kenya | 66,311 |
| Sri Lanka | 49,932 |
| Ghana | 46,513 |
| Cyprus | 45,888 |
| South Africa | 45,506 |
| United States | 44,622 |
| Australia | 41,488 |
| Germany | 39,818 |
| Turkey | 39,128 |
| Italy | 38,694 |
| France | 38,130 |
| Somalia | 33,831 |
| Uganda | 32,082 |
| New Zealand | 27,494 |
According to the Office for National Statistics, based on 2006 estimates, 69.4 percent of the 7.5 million inhabitants of London were White, with 58 percent White British, 2.5 percent White Irish and 8.9 percent classified as Other White. Some 13.1 percent are of South Asian descent, with Indians making up 6.5 percent of London's population, followed by Bangladeshis and Pakistanis at 2.3 percent each. 2 percent are categorised as "Other Asian". 10.7 percent of London's population are Black, with around 5.5 percent being Black African, 4.3 percent as Black Caribbean and 0.7 percent as "Other Black". 3.5 percent of Londoners are of mixed race; 1.5 percent are Chinese; and 1.9 percent belong to another ethnic group.[5] In January 2005, a survey of London's ethnic and religious diversity claimed that there were more than 300 languages spoken and 50 non-indigenous communities with a population of more than 10,000 in London.[6]
The table to the right shows the most common countries of birth of London residents according to the 2001 census. Note that a portion of the German-born population are likely to be British nationals born to parents serving in the British Armed Forces in Germany.[7]
Christians constitute the largest religious group in London (58.2 percent of the city's population), followed by those of no religion (15.8 percent), Muslims (8.5 percent), Hindus (4.1 percent), Jews (2.1 percent), Sikhs (1.5 percent), Buddhists (0.8 percent) and other (0.5 percent), though 8.7 percent of people did not answer this question in the Census.[8]
At the 2001 census, the population of the Greater London Urban Area was 8,278,251.[9] This area does not include some outliers within Greater London, but does extend into the adjacent South East England and East of England regions. In 2004 the London Plan of the Mayor of London defined a metropolitan region with a population of 18 million.[10] Other definitions of the metropolitan area or Southeast England include an area of 16,043 square kilometres (6,194 sq mi) with a population of 13,945,000 in 2001.[11] Eurostat has developed a harmonising standard for comparing metropolitan areas in the European Union and the population of the London Larger Urban Zone is 11,917,000; it occupies an area of 8,920 square kilometres (3,440 sq mi).