London

London had 8,799,728 residents in Greater London in 2021, with a median age of 35.7 years. In 2024, the city had 3,822,330 dwellings. A monthly estimate placed private kindergarten fees at €2,332 in July 2026.

JSON Markdown
Foreign residents3,575,719 peopleGreater London · Verified 2026-07-29Official source · ONS Census 2021 TS012 country of birth, London local authorities
Population9,089,736 peopleGreater London · Verified 2026-07-16Official source · ONS mid-year population estimate for London
Dwellings3,822,330 dwellingscity · Verified 2026-07-16Official source · Greater London dwelling stock / homes total
Employment rate74.3 %city · Verified 2026-07-16Official source · ONS mid-year population estimate for London
Median gross salary (regional)4,223.6218 EUR/monthregional_context · Verified 2026-07-29Official source · Office for National Statistics — ASHE Table 7.1a, 2025 provisional
Unemployment rate7.4 %city · Verified 2026-07-16Official source · ONS mid-year population estimate for London
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-01

Who London may suit

Relative profile scores use comparable published values. They are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker62%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 49–75% from published values
Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on safety · range 51–77% from published values
Student62%strong on cost, weak on healthcare · range 49–75% from published values
Family50%strong on family, weak on cost · range 37–63% from published values
Retirement51%strong on healthcare, weak on admin · range 38–64% from published values

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
London residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport60.7%Foreign residents39.3%

Derived from the published population and foreign-resident counts.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Foreign residents3,575,719 people2026-07-292021Official sourceONS Census 2021 TS012 country of birth, London local authorities Source-backed value · Greater London
Population9,089,736 people2026-07-162024Official sourceONS mid-year population estimate for London Source-backed value · Greater London

Housing

In 2024, the city had 3,822,330 homes.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Dwellings3,822,330 dwellings2026-07-162024Official sourceGreater London dwelling stock / homes total Source-backed value

Cost of living

July 2026 practical estimates placed basic utilities for an 85 m² home at €336.95 per month, internet at €35.36 and an inexpensive restaurant meal at €23.16. A monthly estimate placed a mobile plan with at least 10 GB of data at €16 in July 2026. A monthly estimate placed a fitness-club membership at €53.86 in July 2026.

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
London recurring monthly costs, € per month€2332Private kindergarten€337Utilities, 85 m² flat€222Transport pass€54Fitness club€35Internet, 60 Mbps€16Mobile plan, 10 GB€ / month

Published city cost observations. Some items come from the supplemental estimate lane and are not official statistics.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Fitness club membership, monthly53.86 EUR/month2026-07-26FreshCommercial estimateLebenshaltungskosten in London Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited35.3587 EUR/month2026-07-26FreshCommercial estimateLebenshaltungskosten in London Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly2,331.7163 EUR/month2026-07-26FreshCommercial estimateLebenshaltungskosten in London Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant23.1557 EUR2026-07-26FreshCommercial estimateLebenshaltungskosten in London Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB16.209 EUR/month2026-07-26FreshCommercial estimateLebenshaltungskosten in London Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass222.03 EUR/month2026-08-012024Supplemental estimateNumbeo — Cost of Living in London (Wayback capture 20241231223328) Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home336.9495 EUR/month2026-07-26FreshCommercial estimateLebenshaltungskosten in London Supplemental context

Work and income

The city employment rate was 74.3% in 2025. The unemployment rate was 6.5% from March to May 2026.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Employment rate74.3 %2026-07-16AgingOfficial sourceONS mid-year population estimate for London Source-backed value
Median gross salary (regional)4,223.6218 EUR/month2026-07-29AgingOfficial sourceOffice for National Statistics — ASHE Table 7.1a, 2025 provisional Source-backed value · regional context
Unemployment rate7.4 %2026-07-16FreshOfficial sourceONS mid-year population estimate for London Source-backed value
Unemployment rate over time8 published observations, 1996–2026
Unemployment rate in London by year, %4.5%6.9%9.3%11.7%199620042016201820267.4%%

Unemployment rate fell 34.1% between 1996 and 2026, from 11.2% to 7.4%.

Each point keeps the source and period it was published with.

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperature moved from 6°C in January to 19.2°C in July. Monthly precipitation ranged from 37 mm in March to 66.9 mm in October. Annual PM2.5 was 11.2 µg/m³ in 2019. Average July highs reached 23.6°C.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
London average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND24°Daytime highNight-time low

Published monthly climate normals for this city.

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
London average monthly precipitation, mm020406080584437434551435550676659JFMAMJJASONDmm

Published monthly climate normals for this city.

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
London average monthly sunshine, hours00111000000000000JFMAMJJASONDhours

Published monthly climate normals for this city.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
London annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52511.2PM2.5µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in United KingdomWhere London lands among 940 measured cities
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in United Kingdom per band13–4294–52095–64886–72017–8108–919–10111–12London 11.2annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in United Kingdom per band

Published annual means from the same national measurement network.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
PM2.5 — annual mean11.206 µg/m³country median 6.5 — 72% above2026-07-262019Independent sourceWHO Ambient Air Quality Database V6.1 (update 2024) Source-backed value
Average daytime high by monthJan 8.6 · Feb 9.1 · Mar 11.9 · Apr 15.1 · May 18.4 · Jun 21.4 · Jul 23.6 · Aug 23.3 · Sep 20.2 · Oct 15.9 · Nov 11.6 · Dec 9 °C2026-07-262020Independent sourceWMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV Source-backed value
Average night-time low by monthJan 3.5 · Feb 3.5 · Mar 5.1 · Apr 6.9 · May 9.7 · Jun 12.5 · Jul 14.7 · Aug 14.6 · Sep 12.3 · Oct 9.5 · Nov 6.1 · Dec 3.9 °C2026-07-262020Independent sourceWMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV Source-backed value
Average temperature by monthJan 6 · Feb 6.3 · Mar 8.5 · Apr 11 · May 14 · Jun 17 · Jul 19.2 · Aug 18.9 · Sep 16.2 · Oct 12.7 · Nov 8.8 · Dec 6.4 °C2026-07-262020Independent sourceWMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV Source-backed value
Average precipitation by monthJan 58.1 · Feb 43.6 · Mar 37 · Apr 42.5 · May 44.7 · Jun 50.5 · Jul 43.1 · Aug 54.9 · Sep 49.8 · Oct 66.9 · Nov 65.7 · Dec 58.6 mm2026-07-262020Independent sourceWMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV Source-backed value
Average sunshine by monthJan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 hours2026-07-262020Independent sourceWMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV Source-backed value

Additional context

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Residents born abroad41 %2026-07-162021Official sourceONS mid-year population estimate for London Source-backed value · Greater London; residents
Median age35.7 years2026-07-162024Official sourceONS mid-year population estimate for London Source-backed value · Greater London

Worked out from these numbers

Arithmetic on the published values above. Each one names what it assumed.

How international is the population?

39.3% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 3,575,719 people of 9,089,736 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the typical salary around London?

The median gross salary is 4,223.6218 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics — ASHE Table 7.1a, 2025 provisional, checked 2026-07-29.

What is the unemployment rate in London?

The unemployment rate is 7.4 %. Source: ONS mid-year population estimate for London, checked 2026-07-16.

Is the air quality good in London?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 11.206 µg/m³. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³ and the EU limit value is 25 µg/m³, so this reading is above the WHO guideline but within the EU limit. Source: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database V6.1 (update 2024), checked 2026-07-26.

How many people live in London?

The published population is 9,089,736 people. Source: ONS mid-year population estimate for London, checked 2026-07-16.

How many foreign residents live in London?

3,575,719 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: ONS Census 2021 TS012 country of birth, London local authorities, checked 2026-07-29.

How much is public transport in London?

A monthly transport pass is 222.03 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Numbeo — Cost of Living in London (Wayback capture 20241231223328), checked 2026-08-01.

Cities of a similar size in United Kingdom

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All United Kingdom cities

Sources

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.