London’s numbers to grow 14% over 10 years

September 28th 2012

The population of London is to grow by 14.2% or one seventh over the next ten years according to the latest information released by the Office of National Statistics. That is equivalent to over one million additional people in a city already facing issues with affordable housing and transport infrastructure.

The population of the East of England will grow by 10.2%. Nationally, the population is projected to grow by 8.9% or 4.5 million in the ten years from 2011 to 2021 (53,107,000 to 57,688,000). That is more than the combined populations of Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Coventry, Bradford and Salford. It is also a larger increase than we have experienced in the last ten years (3.7 million).

The 2011 national projection for 2021 is two thirds of a million (667,000) higher than that in 2010 due to the incorporation of census data, which increased the figure for 2011 by 452,000 and changes to the underlying sex and age structure of the population. The increase in the estimated number of younger people in 2011 means that there is an increase (184,000) in the ten year projection for births and a reduction (32,000) in the ten year projection for deaths.

Simon Ross, chief executive of Population Matters, commented “This growth rate is one of the highest in Europe, for a country that is already one of its most densely populated. It is hardly surprising that we face issues in housing, transport and employment. In the medium term, these numbers are unsustainable. The government must be supported in its efforts to limit net migration and should take steps to reduce the birth rate through improving sexual health and encouraging couples to have smaller families.”

Notes:
Interim 2011-based subnational population projections for England – 28 September 2012
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/snpp/sub-national-population-projections/Interim-2011-based/stb-2011-based-snpp.html
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/general/news/stories/2012/july12/190712/190712_4