Photo: Len Williams · CC BY-SA 2.0Half of Lambeth is under 33.6, younger than 97% of UK towns
Across England’s towns, nearly a quarter of households have no car or van; in Lambeth, 58%. At the 2021 Census, 317,108 people lived in the borough, in 134,497 households. The share of shared households of unrelated adults stands at 15%. On households in detached houses, Lambeth sits lower than 99% of UK towns: 2%.
What the Census says about Lambeth’s people
More born abroad than most towns
39% of residents were born outside the UK, against 41% across London and 18% across England’s towns. The largest groups were born in EU countries (13%) and in the Americas, Oceania and elsewhere (10%). Where people were born ↓
A mix of backgrounds
62% of residents described their ethnic group as something other than White British at the 2021 Census, more than in 99% of UK towns. The largest groups after White British are Other White (17%), African (12%) and Caribbean (9.1%). Ethnicity & religion ↓
Younger than most towns
Half of Lambeth’s residents are under 33.6 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 13% are 15 to 24 and 8.6% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
A borough people move to
17% of residents gave a different address a year before the 2021 Census, 1.6 times the share across England’s towns. Students & newcomers ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area) and ONS mid-year population estimates.
A +4% change since 2011: slower than 66% of UK towns
ONS mid-year estimates, each year indexed to mid-2011 = 100. Lambeth’s figure is the small areas (2021 LSOAs) that make up the borough.
People, mid-2011 = 100
Change by age, 2011 to 2024
About 304,500 people in 2011; 316,900 in 2024.
Growth was strongest among the 65 and over (+29%) and weakest among the 0 to 15 (−18%). The biggest jump came in the year to mid-2012: 5,970 more people.
Residents aged 65 and over make up 8.6% in Lambeth, less than in 98% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Residents aged 15 to 24 make up 13%, against 12% across England’s towns. The wider picture: 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Lambeth, 33.6. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Lambeth ranks above 98% of UK towns on residents who moved in within the year: 17%
What adults did at the 2021 Census (the ONS’s NS-SEC classes), and where residents lived a year earlier.
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Address a year before the Census
Residents who lived somewhere else a year earlier. The bar runs to 25%.
At 8.7%, the share of full-time students is in line with the figure across England’s towns. Across England’s towns, the share of residents who moved in within the year is 11%.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Only 24% of households have dependent children in Lambeth
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against London and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
Here nearly a third of households are one person living alone, where the figure across England’s towns is 30%. To put it in context, 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns. On average, 2.3 people share a household.
More households in flats than 99% of UK towns: 75%
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2021. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
Here 15% of households live in a terraced house, where the figure across England’s towns is 24%. By way of comparison, nearly a quarter of households live in a flat or apartment across England’s towns.
Lambeth: 39% of residents born outside the UK
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2021.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 50%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Across England’s towns, 21% of those born abroad arrived in 2017 or later; here, 20%. On the census count, 82% of residents have English as their main language. Residents born outside the UK: 18% across England’s towns, for comparison.
Lambeth sits below 99% of UK towns for residents who describe themselves as White British (38%)
How residents described themselves at the 2021 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 38% of Lambeth · London 37% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Nothing unusual on residents with no religion: 37%, close to the figure across England’s towns. 44% of residents describe themselves as Christian. The usual figure: 73% of residents describe themselves as White British across England’s towns.
In Lambeth, 26% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, fewer than in 99% of UK towns
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 5 and over), Census 2021.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over
62% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership; across England’s towns the figure is 39%. On the census count, 6.2% of residents give unpaid care. The benchmark for married adults and civil partners across England’s towns: 44%.
56% of adults hold a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications cover 56% of adults in Lambeth, 34% across England’s towns; 13% have no qualification, against 18%. The highest qualification of 12% is A levels, often students still at university.
From a median age of 30 in Acre Lane to 38 in West Norwood West & Streatham East
The borough’s 35 neighbourhoods (ONS middle-layer areas with 500+ residents inside it, named by the House of Commons Library), youngest first. Census 2021.
West Norwood West & Streatham East is the oldest area, with 13% aged 65 or over; Acre Lane the youngest (median age 30). Students cluster in Lambeth North, Waterloo & South Bank, where 26% of adults are full-time students. Families with children are most common in Streatham Vale (35% of households).
8th youngest of 39 UK towns of 222,000 to 428,000 people
Median age, Census 2021. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
Tower Hamlets is the youngest (30.8); Bromley the oldest (41.2). Nearest to Lambeth in age: Southwark (33.6), Wandsworth (33.6), Newcastle upon Tyne (33.9) and Bristol (33.9).
Nearby, 5 of 7 towns have older populations than Lambeth
Nearby built-up areas coloured by median age, Census 2021. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lambeth | 317,108 | — | 33.6 | 8.6% | 24% |
| Southwark | 307,076 | 2.4 mi | 33.6 | 8.4% | 25% |
| Wandsworth | 326,725 | 2.7 mi | 33.6 | 9.5% | 25% |
| Lewisham | 300,764 | 4 mi | 35.4 | 9.5% | 31% |
| City of London | 7,820 | 4.5 mi | 37.3 | 14% | 8.7% |
| Merton | 214,931 | 4.5 mi | 37.5 | 13% | 34% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 143,348 | 4.6 mi | 39.1 | 14% | 20% |
| Westminster | 203,571 | 4.7 mi | 35.9 | 12% | 19% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The Census was taken in a lockdown, in term time. 21 March 2021 fell in term time, and students were asked to give their term-time address, so most were counted where they study. Some may have been living with family that day.
- “London” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in London (or England), summed the same way as Lambeth’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out. The population trend compares with the whole county and nation.
- Estimates since 2021 are modelled. The ONS builds mid-year estimates from the Census, births, deaths and migration records. Lambeth’s trend uses the small areas (2021 LSOAs) with most of their people inside it: 317,645 people in 2021, against 317,108 in the built-up area.
- Small counts are blurred. The ONS adds small random changes to Census counts to protect privacy, so the same total differs a little between tables, and the shares of a small town can move by a point or two.
Questions about Lambeth’s residents
What is the population of Lambeth?
The 2021 Census counted 317,108 people in Lambeth’s built-up area. The ONS estimates the same small areas held 316,900 people in mid-2024, 4% more than in 2011.
What is the average age in Lambeth?
The median age was 33.6 at the 2021 Census, younger than 97% of UK towns. 13% of residents were 15 to 24 and 8.6% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Lambeth?
38% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 37% across London. 39% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Lambeth?
37% said they had no religion and 44% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 8.1% were Muslim and 7.6% didn’t answer.
Is Lambeth good for families?
24% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Families are most common in Streatham Vale (35% of households). Schools are on Lambeth’s schools page.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area (TS002, TS003, TS004, TS007A, TS008, TS015, TS017, TS019, TS021, TS029, TS030, TS039, TS044, TS045, TS062, TS067) · ONS mid-year population estimates for 2021 LSOAs, mid-2011 to mid-2024 · House of Commons Library MSOA names. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.