Camden Demographic Profile 2007 Camden Profile Link to Demographic Databook June 2021 Overall Size and Composition1 are from overseas. 28% of students live in uni- Comprising almost 22 square kilometres in the versity halls of residence or properties; while heart of London, Camden is a borough of di- 39% reside in the area south of Euston Road3. versity and contrasts. Business centres such as Holborn, Euston and Tottenham Court The latest ‘official’ estimate of Camden's resi- Road contrast with exclusive residential dis- dent population is 279,500 at mid-20204. This tricts in Hampstead and Highgate, thriving Bel- is the nationally comparable population esti- size Park, the open spaces of Hampstead mate required for government returns and na- Heath, Parliament Hill and Kenwood, the tionally comparable performance indicators. youthful energy of Camden Town, subdivided houses in Kentish Town and West Hamp- For overall strategy and for planning stead, as well as areas of relative deprivation. services, Camden uses the GLA demo- graphic projections – See Future Change The Council has designated 40 Conservation in Population on p2). Areas that cover approximately half the bor- ough, while more than 5,600 buildings and ONS estimates show that of our neighbours, structures are listed as having special archi- Barnet and Brent have larger populations; Ha- tectural or historic interest. Camden is well ringey, Westminster, Islington and the City are served by public transport, including three smaller. Camden is just a fragment of Greater main-line railway stations (St Pancras, King’s London, occupying only 1.4% by area – mak- Cross and Euston); and St Pancras Interna- ing it London’s 8th smallest borough by area, tional; with extensive bus, tube and suburban but 5th highest by population density (128 per rail networks – soon to include the Crossrail hectare). Camden is home to 7.1% of Lon- link at Tottenham Court Road. Many of the don’s employment and 3.1% of its population. borough’s streets are under severe parking Note that for planning services Camden uses stress, and the southern part of the borough is GLA development-led forecasts – see ‘Future within the central London congestion-charge change in population’ section below on p2. zone and Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ), 2 though a high proportion of households (78%) The mix of social and economic conditions in in this area do not have access to a vehicle. Camden is like nowhere else, though parts of Camden are very similar to parts of other Lon- Camden is home to 11 higher education insti- don boroughs. According to the 2011 Census- tutions, including University College London based area classification for London, Camden (UCL), the School of Oriental and African is described in terms of “High Density & High Studies (SOAS), the London School of Hy- Rise Flats” (32%), “Urban Elites” (29%), “City giene and Tropical Medicine, Birkbeck and the Vibe” (22%) or “London Life-cycle” (16%)5. University of London. Camden is home to the largest student population in London, with The 2011 Census found that for residents more than 27,600 higher education students aged 16+, over half (51%) were educated to living in Camden: 59% are women and 57% degree level or equivalent (ranking 5th highest 1 The 2011 Census provides the most comprehensive and de- 4 Mid-2020 usual resident population estimates, based on the tailed information about Camden and is supplemented by 2011 Census; ONS, published 25 June 2021. various survey estimates and administrative counts. 5 2011 Census-based London Output Area Classification For further details of statistics quoted in this profile see the (LOAC) Super-group typologies, published by GLA: Demographic Databook (Excel). https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/london-area-classifica- 2 South of Euston Road, 2011 Census table KS404EW. tion. 3 Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 2018-19. Strategy Family, © LB Camden, 2021 Page 1 Last updated 29 June 2021 in England & Wales); while 13% had no qualifi- 41,100 people, a total outflow of 32,600, with cations. The Camden population is ethnically the net effect of an additional 8,500 people10. diverse and consists predominantly of younger Migration flows are split between those meas- working-aged adults. 1 in 7 (14%) Camden ured within the UK and those from outside (in- people had an illness or disability affecting ternational). The domestic flows to/from the their day-to-day activities. Almost a third of rest of the UK, account for half of the annual households (32%) lived in private-rented ac- inflow (51%) and three-quarters of the outflow commodation; while more households owned (76%). A sizeable proportion of movement is their home outright (17%) than owned with a the annual transfer of students to/from Cam- mortgage or loan (15%). 4% of people lived den, both international and within the UK. communally (e.g. student halls, hostels, or care homes) rather than in households. 85% Births and deaths also affect population dy- of household spaces were in purpose-built or namics. In the year to mid-2020 there were converted flats, just 15% lived in houses (of 2,337 births to Camden-resident mothers and which less than 2% were detached). 19% of 1,377 deaths recorded, leading to a ‘natural households had more than 1.5 persons per change’ of +960 (births minus deaths). This is th bedroom – ranking 12 highest amongst local the lowest natural change since 1996 and is authorities in England & Wales. the result of reducing births and a spike in deaths due to COVID-19. Since 2011-12, an- The census found that the majority of house- nual births in Camden have reduced by a holds in Camden did not have access to a car quarter (24%). Camden has the lowest total or van (61%). DVLA records show that the fertility rate in the UK, 1.05 in the calendar number of cars registered in Camden has year 201911. Camden’s low fertility is contrib- fallen over the period 2010-20 by 16%6. uted to by the large student population (60% female), the high cost of family accommoda- 41% of households contained one person liv- tion, alongside other factors including welfare ing alone – a third of those were people aged reform, short-term letting, Brexit and other over 65 years; of the remaining households, economic uncertainties. 31% contained household members who were from the same ethnic group and 26% of Future change in population GLA’s 2019- households contained people from different based Projections12 forecast Camden’s popu- ethnic groups. 30% of Camden’s usual resi- lation in line with planned residential develop- dents were born outside the UK and European ment. These forecasts are used by Camden to Union7. English was not the main language for underpin council strategies and in planning 23% of people8, though the vast majority services. Over the next decade, Camden’s (86%) said they spoke English either ‘very population is forecast to increase by 15,100 well’ or ‘well’. (5.7%) between 2021 and 2031. Future growth is due to both natural increase (births outstrip- Population ping deaths) of +7,700 and 7,300 due to net The population of an area changes over time. migration over the 2021-31 period. As a central London borough Camden experi- ences a high degree of population ‘churn’9. Government trend-based projections13, which Camden has the 5th largest population churn in are unconstrained by housing capacity, show the UK, due to large migration in- and out- higher increases in population. ONS 2018- flows. In the year to mid-2020, ONS esti- based projections for Camden show an in- mates total migration inflow to Camden of crease of 22,600 over 2021-31 (+8.2%)14. The 6 DVLA - cars registered to Camden addresses 2010-2020. 12 GLA 2019-based Projections, Scenario 3, GLA, 2021. 7 European Union as at 27 March 2011. 13 Trend based projections are solely based on recent esti- 8 Usual residents aged 3+. mates of fertility, mortality and migration and do not take 9 Churn measures migration flows relative to population size, into account local housing policy or the ability of an area to calculated as the sum of in- and out- migration divided by accommodate the population. Such projections for Camden the total population. Churn is 26% in the year to mid-2020, tend to over-estimate the future population. but includes university student moves to and from Camden. 14 ONS 2018-based Subnational Population Projection Projec- 10 ONS Mid-year Estimates: components of change 2019-20. tions (24 March 2020). 11 Total fertility rate is calculated as the number of live births per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Source ONS 2019 Summary Births. Strategy Family, © LB Camden, 2021 Page 2 June 2021 higher growth implies increased household Camden’s largest communities with a distinc- size and/or greater sharing in order to fit the tive cultural identity are the Bangladeshi, Black increased population within the forecast hous- African and Irish communities, followed by ing stock. Chinese and Indian. In common with other in- ner London boroughs, there are small but Age and Gender growing communities of migrants who are ref- Camden’s demographic profile corresponds to ugees or seeking asylum, as well as migrants a typical metropolitan city with a university resulting from EU enlargement. presence: a large proportion of students and younger adults, relatively few children and According to the 2011 Census, 60% of Cam- older people compared to the national aver- den residents were born in Britain or Ireland. age: 37% of residents are aged under 30, 65% Of the remainder, 11% were born in other EU 18 are aged under 45.