London's population to rise by 14%

 
22 March 2012

The number of children living in London will rise by more than a fifth in the next 10 years because of rising birth rates in the capital, a new Government report has revealed.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the overall population of the capital will rise by 14.2 per cent to more than nine million by 2020 — more than one million more than currently live here.

Part of the increase will be the result of migration, but the biggest factor will be a big surge in the number of children aged 15 and under. Their numbers are predicted to rise by 21.3 per cent by 2020.

The statisticians say that the reason is that nearly half of London residents are aged between 16 and 44 and in the “main child-bearing ages”, with the capital’s population skewed more heavily towards the young than in any other part of the country. Their report adds: “This drives the higher number of births being projected in London over the next 10 years, leading to a 21 per cent projected increase in the number of children between 2010 and 2020.”

The new figures show that there is also expected to be a 16 per cent increase in the number of over-65s. The number of adults aged between 16 and 64 is predicted to rise by 12 per cent. London’s overall increase of 14.2 per cent means that it is the fastest-growing region in the country.

Net migration accounts for only 2.5 per cent of the predicted increase because although large numbers of migrants arrive in the capital each year, many then move.

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