Our residents
Westminster is home to 205,100 people; The area has a significant number of young working-age residents, high levels of international migration, and cultural diversity. Whilst the number of children living in the borough is expected to decline in the next 20 years, the number of people aged 65 or over is expected to increase.
Many residents move in and out of the borough each year: 22% did not live at the same address as the year before, among the highest in England. This is because of the large private rental sector (43% of households). International migration is also the highest in England: more than 20,000 Westminster residents arrived in the UK within the past two years, 10% of the borough’s total population.
45% of residents are from a global majority background. From our local data, we can see that global majority communities have poorer health. For example, residents from a Black ethnic background have almost double the rate of hypertension and almost three times the rates of diabetes and obesity than those from a White background. Rates of depression are higher among residents from a Black and Black British or Mixed (particularly Caribbean) background.
Find out how we are using data to address the needs of residents from a Global Majority background.
26% of residents do not have English as their main language. Arabic is the most commonly spoken language after English, but it differs in all wards. In the 2021 Census, 4% of residents reported that they could not speak English well or at all, and there was an increase in residents whose primary language is English (from 69% to 74%).
The most common religions in the borough are Christianity (37%) and Islam (20%). In the 2021 Census there was an increase in the number of residents who say they have no religion (from 20% to 26%). Those who identify as Muslim are more likely to say their health is bad or very bad.
Our diverse city
- 45% of our residents are from a global majority background
- 52% of our residents are female
- 26,700 (13%) are aged 0-15 years, 153,400 (75%) are aged 16-64 and 25,000 (12%) are aged 65+
- 14% of our residents have a disability
- One in 20 residents identify as being LGBTQ+. The proportion of LGBTQ+ residents is highest in the West End and Soho (11%)
- 65% of residents have a religion.
- 0.75% (1,329) have a gender identity different from their sex registered at birth
- 32% are married or in a registered civil partnership
References
Our JSNA brings together data and insight from a range of sources. Below are some of the key sources of data used for this section.
Data used in this section was collated in February 2024.
If you require any further information on specific references, please contact us at [email protected].