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The age distribution of the population

Population proportions by age-groups (2023 and 2013)

Last updated: January 2025
Next estimated update: December 2025

What’s this indicator?

This indicator shows the proportion of London and the rest of England’s population that is in each age group. We can use it to see the age of the population in London (split into Inner and Outer London) and the Rest of England, and how this has changed in the last 10 years.

What does it tell us?

London’s population is, in general, younger than the rest of England. This is especially the case in Inner London, where more than one in 5 people (23.5%) are aged between 25 and 34. This compares to just 12.7% of those in the rest of England. More broadly, in Inner London, almost half the population is made up out of those who are in their early twenties to early forties (48%), compared to the rest of England where three in 10 (31.5%) are in this age group.

This is likely caused by people moving to Inner London for work early in their careers and then leaving as they start families. The largest five-year age band is 25 to 29 year olds in Inner London, 35 to 39 year olds in Outer London and 55 to 59 year olds in the rest of England. A relatively small proportion of London’s population is over 65; 9.5% in Inner London and 13.8% in Outer London compared to 19.9% in the rest of England.

How has this changed in the last 10 years?

In both Inner and Outer London, the number of young children has decreased between 2013 and 2023. In Inner London, children aged 0-9 make up 10.2% of the population - down from 12.6% in 2013. In Outer London the figure is 12.6% compared to 14.1% in 2013.

This means that across London, London’s population of 0-9 year olds has decreased by 99,100, at the same time as London’s overall population has increased by 506,000. By contrast, the proportion of the population in every age group over 50 years of age (except for 80-84 year olds) increased in London from 2013 to 2023.

Want to know more?

If you want to explore this data in more depth, check the 'data source and notes' button on the above charts. This will tell you where the data comes from, where you may be able to dig deeper.