Population changes in London
London has undergone enormous changes over the last 80 years. As the graph shows, the population fell from 8.6 million in 1939 to 6.8 million in 1981 and 1991, rising to 9 million in 2020.
These changes in population are the result of the changes in the economic structure of London. For example, between 1960 and 1980, the docks closed and manufacturing was lost, particularly in the Lea Valley. This led to many job losses in inner London and migration out of the city, resulting in a loss of population in inner London.
Since 1981, the number of jobs in financial services and knowledge-based industries has increased. In addition, the redevelopment of London鈥檚 docklands (through the London Docklands Development Corporation) in the 1990s, and the redevelopment of East London prior to the 2012 Olympics, increased the number and variety of jobs available in London, making it a desirable place to live. As a result, the population of both inner and outer London has risen. London has a relatively youthful population and so birth rates are higher than death rates. In recent years, London has grown more by natural change than it has by net migration.