Skip to content
Surf Wiki
Save to docs
geography/united-kingdom

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Outer London

Outer boroughs of Greater London

Outer London

Summary

Outer boroughs of Greater London

FieldValue
nameOuter London
image_mapOuter London (statutory).svg
map_captionStatutory definition
image_map1Outer London (statistical).svg
map_caption1Statistical definition
subdivision_typeSovereign state
subdivision_nameUnited Kingdom
subdivision_type1Country
subdivision_name1England
subdivision_type2Region
subdivision_name2London
subdivision_type3Administrative area
subdivision_name3Greater London
population_total5,395,500
population_as_of2021 Census
area_total_km21253
population_density_km2auto
blank1_nameNUTS
blank1_infoUKI2

Outer London is the group of London boroughs that form a ring around Inner London. Together, the inner and outer boroughs form London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. The population at the 2021 Census was 5,395,500, which means over 60% of the population of Greater London lives in Outer London.

History

Outer London consists of areas that were not part of the County of London and became formally part of London when Greater London was created 1965. An exception is North Woolwich, which was in the County of London but was transferred to Newham in 1965.

London Government Act 1963

The nineteen Outer London boroughs were defined by the London Government Act 1963. The main difference between Inner and Outer London boroughs between 1965 and 1990 was that the outer boroughs were local education authorities. The statutory Outer London boroughs are:

  • Barking and Dagenham
  • Barnet
  • Bexley
  • Brent
  • Bromley
  • Croydon
  • Ealing
  • Enfield
  • Haringey
  • Harrow
  • Havering
  • Hillingdon
  • Hounslow
  • Kingston upon Thames
  • Merton
  • Redbridge
  • Richmond upon Thames
  • Sutton
  • Waltham Forest

ONS definition (statistics)

Outer London population pyramid in 2021

The Office for National Statistics and the decennial UK Census use a different definition of Outer London, excluding Haringey and Newham (which are defined as Inner London), and including Greenwich. This is reflected in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) classification. Under this classification, Outer London consists of the nineteen London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, and Waltham Forest.

Population

Figures here are for the Office for National Statistics defined Outer London (in its 2001 limits), whose land area is 1,254 km2. Figures before 1971 have been reconstructed by the Office for National Statistics based on past censuses in order to fit the 2001 limits.

Outer London continued to grow as population moved from Inner London, surpassing the Inner London population in 1951 at 4,517,588. The population of Greater London as a whole then started to decline, and the Outer London population fell from the 1951 peak to 4,230,000 in 1991. Since 1991 the Outer London population has been increasing again, surpassing the 1951 peak with a population of 4,942,040 in 2011. The population at the 2021 Census was 5,395,500. Over 60% of the population of Greater London lives in Outer London.

Economy

In 2002 there were 1.64 million jobs located in Outer London, which accounted for 42% of total jobs in London. Heathrow Airport and Croydon are the most significant locations for employment in Outer London.

Ethnicity

Ethnic GroupYear1981 estimations1991 censusNumber%Number%White: Total3,821,14189.8%3,534,78382.9%Asian or Asian British: Total263,6106.2%457,75510.7%Black or Black British: Total131,8833.1%205,2994.8%Mixed or British Mixed: TotalOther: Total38,8610.9%64,8581.5%Non-White: Total434,36010.2%727,91717.1%Total4,255,501100%4,262,700100%
White: British
White: Irish
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller
White: Roma
White: Other
Asian or Asian British: Indian172,7154.1%283,2866.7%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani36,7100.8%60,7231.4%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi6,77815,122
Asian or Asian British: Chinese16,55629,030
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian30,85169,594
Black or Black British: African31,36156,463
Black or Black British: Caribbean78,5341.8%116,3592.7%
Black or Black British: Other Black21,98832,477
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean
Mixed: White and Black African
Mixed: White and Asian
Mixed: Other Mixed
Other: Arab
Other: Any other ethnic group

Strategic planning

For the purposes of the London Plan planning document produced by the Mayor of London, Outer London consists of the statutory Outer London boroughs, with the exception of Newham.

Other definitions

From 1990 to 2000 London used two telephone area codes with separate codes for 'Inner London' and 'Outer London' (originally 071 and 081 respectively, becoming 0171 and 0181 in 1995). The area covered by the 'Outer London' code was widely different from all of the above definitions. In 2000, London returned to using a single 020 area code and all official distinctions between 'inner' and 'outer' London numbers ceased at this time.

References

References

  1. . (24 August 2023). ["A Beginners Guide to UK Geography (2023)"](https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/a-beginners-guide-to-uk-geography-2023/about). *Office for National Statistics*.
  2. Office of Public Sector Information - [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1963/cukpga_19630033_en_1 London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended)]
  3. "Outer London through time: Administrative History (post 1974)". [[Great Britain Historical GIS]].
  4. "Population and household estimates, England and Wales: Census 2021".
  5. (March 2009). "Working Paper 34: Outer London – Economic data and statistics". Greater London Authority.
  6. (1996). "Ethnicity in the 1991 census: Vol 3 - Social geography and ethnicity in Britain, geographical spread, spatial concentration and internal migration". London : HMSO.
  7. (1996). "Ethnicity in the 1991 census: Vol 3 - Social geography and ethnicity in Britain, geographical spread, spatial concentration and internal migration". London : HMSO.
  8. Mayor of London. "London Plan: Chapter 2". [[Greater London Authority]].
  9. "Archived copy".
  10. "Archived copy".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Outer London — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report