Pensioners

Last updated: June 2024
Next estimated update: September 2024

What does this indicator show?

This indicator shows the work status of London households, split by income quintile. We can use it, for example, what percentage of London households on the lowest 20% of incomes have all adults in full-time employment.

What does it tell us?

This indicator tells us that household work status is closely related to household net incomes. Overall, households with lower net incomes are more likely to include inactive, retired or unemployed adults. 

For example, just 8.5% of households on the 20% lowest income live in households where all adults work full time. By contrast 63.3% of those in the top 20% of the net income distribution live in households where all adults work full time. 

Nearly one in five of those in the bottom net income quintile live in econ…

This indicator shows how many older people (65+) there are for every 100 working-age adults (16-64). It reflects the level of support working-age people and national and local government might need to provide to those who are retired.

Both Inner and Outer London have a lower old-age dependency ratio than the rest of England. In Inner London in 2022, there were 12.7 people over the age of 65 for every 100 working-age adults. This compares to 21 in Outer London and 32.1 in the rest of England.

Over the next decade, as the population ages, the dependency ratio is projected to increase quite rapidly.

Last updated: May 2024
Next estimated update: May 2025

What does this indicator show?

This indicator shows the proportion of people in poverty in London (after housing costs) by family structure. A person is classed as being in poverty if they earn below 60% of the median income. You can find out more about how poverty is measured here.

What does it tell us?

Families made up of a single adult with children are the most likely to be in poverty. In London 47% of these family types are counted as being in poverty, with 44% in the rest of England. Other single person household types follow next, with couple households showing lower poverty rates. Couples pensioners and couples without children are the least likely to be in poverty - 13% and 14%, respectively, of this family type were in poverty in London for 2022/23.

The family structure of London…

Last updated: May 2024
Next estimated update: May 2025

What does this indicator show?

This indicator shows the percentage of people in London living in poverty (after housing costs), split by life stages. For a more comprehensive breakdown of poverty in different age groups, visit this indicator.

What does it tell us?

Of the three age groups shown here, children have the highest poverty rates, with 32% of children in London in poverty in 2022/23, compared to 22% of working-age adults and 19% of pensioners. 

How has this changed over time?

In the last 10 years, the proportion of children in poverty in London has decreased by 5 percentage points - from 37% to 32%. The poverty rate among working-age adults has also decreased (from 27% to 22%), while for pensioners it has stayed the same (19%).

How does London compare to the rest of England?

Children…

Last updated: May 2024
Next estimated update: May 2025

What does this indicator show?

This indicator shows the poverty rate in London by age group. A person is classed as being in poverty if they earn below 60% of the median income. You can find out more about how poverty is measured here.

What does it tell us?

Poverty rates after housing costs were highest among children and young people in 2022/23, in both London and the rest of England.

• In London 140,000 children aged four and under live in households in poverty
• A third (33%) of children aged 5-9 are in households in poverty
• Over a third of 10-19 year olds live in households that are in poverty (35% of those aged 10-14 and 37% of those aged 15-19). 

In contrast, 15% of Londoners aged 30-34 live in households that are in poverty - the lowest rate for any age group. 

Poverty rates in London are h…

Last updated: May 2024
Next estimated update: May 2025

What does this indicator show?

This indicator shows the number of people living in poverty in London, split by life-stage (children, adults and pensioners) and the working-status of their household. A ‘working household’ is one where at least one adult is in work and a ‘workless household’ is one in which no adults are in work.

What does it tell us?

We can see that more Londoners living in poverty are in working households than in workless households. This has been consistently the case for the last decade. In 2022/23 we find some 930,000 people in poverty are living in working households. By contrast, 380,000 people in poverty are living in working-age workless households.

A similar pattern is true if we look at children in poverty. 480,000 children in poverty live in households where som…

Households are considered to be below the UK poverty line if their income is below 60% of the median household income after housing costs for that year.

More than one in five people living in Inner London (23.1%) 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 (47.2%), compared to the rest of England where three in 10 (31.1%) are in this age group, and Inner London is home to a higher proportion of young people than Outer London.

This is 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 50 to 54 year olds in the rest of England. A relatively small proportion of London’s population is over 65; 9.4% in Inner London and 13.6% in Outer London compared to …