Black Londoners, of whom there are 1.1 million, represent another 13 per cent of the population. They include Africans, black Britons and those from the Caribbean.
The capital’s 405,000 mixed race residents make up another five per cent of the population. Arabs represent 1.3 per cent, while “other” ethnic groups make up two per cent.
A further 13 per cent of Londoners are “white other” – such as Europeans — meaning that the capital still has an overall majority of white residents despite white Britons becoming a minority.
On religion, today’s figures show that the capital has four million Christians. They account for 48 per cent of residents, down from 58 per cent in 2001.
Muslim Londoners, of whom there are now one million, are the next biggest faith group and account for 12 per cent of the capital’s population — up from eight per cent a decade earlier.
London also has the highest proportion of Hindus in the country, who represent five per cent of its population, Jews, at two per cent, and Buddhists, who make up one per cent. Those who say they have no religion totalled 1.7 million, while a further 693,000 failed to answer.
On country of birth, today’s figures show that three million Londoners were born abroad.
More than half of the residents in Brent, Newham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster were born outside the UK.
Half of London’s foreign born residents arrived between 2001 and 2011, reflecting the surge in immigration under Labour and the first years of David Cameron’s premiership.
On qualifications, 38 per cent of Londoners had a degree or better, the highest proportion in the country. Those who have no recognised qualifications represent 18 per cent of the capital’s population, the lowest proportion nationally.
Today’s figures are all based on the 2011 census which shows that London’s population is 8.2 million. That represents a big increase on the 2001 when the number of residents was around 7.3 million.
