Photo: Images George Rex · CC BY-SA 2.0Merton is younger than 91% of UK towns: a median age of 37.5
Where nearly two in five adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns, Merton has 42%. In 2021, the Census found 214,931 residents in the borough, living in 81,564 households. On the census count, 34% of households have dependent children. Few places have as many shared households of unrelated adults: 7.7% here, more than in 98% of UK towns.
What the Census says about Merton’s people
More born abroad than most towns
41% 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 (14%) and in the Middle East and Asia (12%). Where people were born ↓
A mix of backgrounds
59% of residents described their ethnic group as something other than White British at the 2021 Census, more than in 98% of UK towns. The largest groups after White British are Other White (19%), Mixed or multiple (5.9%) and African (5.7%). Ethnicity & religion ↓
Younger than most towns
Half of Merton’s residents are under 37.5 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 10% are 15 to 24 and 13% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
A borough of flats
39% of households live in a flat or maisonette, more than in 98% of UK towns. 33% have no car or van. Homes & cars ↓
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.
Growth of +9% since 2011 puts Merton ahead of 57% of UK towns
ONS mid-year estimates, each year indexed to mid-2011 = 100. Merton’s figure is the small areas (2021 LSOAs) that make up the borough.
People, mid-2011 = 100
Change by age, 2011 to 2024
About 200,500 people in 2011; 218,500 in 2024.
By age, the 45 to 64 group changed most (+26%) and the 16 to 29 group least (−5%). The biggest one-year rise was mid-2011 to mid-2012, 4,620 people.
Residents aged 65 and over: 13%, a lower share than 95% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Young people aged 15 to 24 make up 10% of residents, against 12% across England’s towns. By way of comparison, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns. No age band is larger than 30–34: nearly one in ten residents.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Merton, 37.5. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
More students than 92% of UK towns: 7.3% of adults in Merton
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%.
Residents who moved in within the year: 11%, near enough the figure across England’s towns. For comparison, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Larger households than 96% of UK towns: 2.6 people on average
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.
Set against 30% across England’s towns, a quarter of households are one person living alone in Merton.
Merton ranks above 98% of UK towns on households in flats: 39%
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
Against a figure of 21% across England’s towns, the share of households in detached houses in Merton comes in at 5.7%. On the census count, 36% of households live in a terraced house. 33% of households have no car or van, more than in 97% of UK towns. The benchmark for households in flats across England’s towns: 23%.
Merton ranks above 99% of UK towns on residents born outside the UK: 41%
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
17% of those born abroad arrived in 2017 or later, against 21% across England’s towns. Residents born outside the UK make up 18% across England’s towns. On the census count, nearly four in five residents have English as their main language.
Merton sits below 98% of UK towns for residents who describe themselves as White British (41%)
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: 41% of Merton · London 37% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
In Merton, 28% of residents said they have no religion, beside 37% across England’s towns. The census found that 47% of residents describe themselves as Christian in the borough. Across England’s towns, 73% of residents describe themselves as White British.
A lower share of unpaid carers than 97% of UK towns, at 6.9%
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
Students and young renters account for much of that. Unpaid carers giving 50 hours or more a week: 3,753. At 45%, the share of married adults and civil partners is lower than in 70% of UK towns.
50% of adults are qualified to degree level
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
At degree level, Merton counts 50% of its adults, against 34% across England’s towns; at the other end, 14% have no qualification (18%). Many still at university: 13% list A levels as their highest qualification.
From a median age of 35 in Colliers Wood to 49 in Wimbledon Common
The borough’s 25 neighbourhoods (ONS middle-layer areas with 500+ residents inside it, named by the House of Commons Library), youngest first. Census 2021.
Wimbledon Common is the oldest area, with 26% aged 65 or over; Colliers Wood the youngest (median age 35). Families with children are most common in Mitcham West (41% of households).
21st oldest of 45 UK towns of 150,000 to 290,000 people
Median age, Census 2021. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
Ages run from 31.9 in Cambridge to 42.6 in Sunderland. Nearest to Merton in age: Bolton (37.2), Derby (37.4), Norwich (37.9) and Harrow (38.1).
Of the 7 towns nearest Merton, 5 are older
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merton | 214,931 | — | 37.5 | 13% | 34% |
| Wandsworth | 326,725 | 3 mi | 33.6 | 9.5% | 25% |
| Sutton | 208,858 | 3 mi | 39.4 | 15% | 35% |
| Worcester Park and Stoneleigh | 15,851 | 3.8 mi | 44.7 | 21% | 32% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 166,333 | 4.1 mi | 38.6 | 14% | 33% |
| Lambeth | 317,108 | 4.5 mi | 33.6 | 8.6% | 24% |
| Ewell | 27,509 | 4.8 mi | 43.1 | 20% | 34% |
| Croydon | 389,242 | 5.2 mi | 37.6 | 14% | 34% |
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 Merton’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. Merton’s trend uses the small areas (2021 LSOAs) with most of their people inside it: 215,174 people in 2021, against 214,931 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 Merton’s residents
What is the population of Merton?
The 2021 Census counted 214,931 people in Merton’s built-up area. The ONS estimates the same small areas held 218,500 people in mid-2024, 9% more than in 2011.
What is the average age in Merton?
The median age was 37.5 at the 2021 Census, younger than 91% of UK towns. 10% of residents were 15 to 24 and 13% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Merton?
41% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 37% across London. 41% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Merton?
28% said they had no religion and 47% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 10% were Muslim and 6.9% didn’t answer.
Is Merton good for families?
34% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Families are most common in Mitcham West (41% of households). Schools are on Merton’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.