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Size and population

 
Greenwich covers an area of more than 5,000 hectares and a has a population of approximately 222,600.

Below is an overview of the borough, but we have broken down these statistics into wards based on the 2001 census with further information including maps. See the Ward Profile.

Population

One fifth (21 per cent) of Greenwich borough’s population are aged 15 and under; 14 per cent are of retirement age (65+ Male/60+ Female) [Office for National Statistics (ONS) Mid Year Estimate (MYE), 2006].

Over the next ten years approximately 10,000 new homes will be constructed in Greenwich. Key housing partnership projects include the Millennium Village and the urban village at Gallions Reach, where construction of 1,500 new dwellings has begun.

The new housing will lead to an increase in population. An increase of 8 per cent in the next 10 years (2006 to 2016), and 14 per cent in the next 20 years (2006-2026), is anticipated by the ONS [ONS, Revised 2004-based population projections].

Households

Over half of all households (53.6 per cent) are family households, 36.6 per cent have only one person, and 9.8 per cent are ‘other’ households. [2001 Census, ONS].

Pensioner households make up 19.7 per cent of all households, and 30.2 per cent of households contain dependent children. Of those households with dependent children, 10.5% are lone parent households [2001 Census, ONS].

Older people

The proportion of older people in the borough is decreasing. Residents aged over 60 made up 19 per cent of the total population in 1991.

In 2001 the figure was 16.9 per cent. In 2006 it is predicted that older people will make up 15.6 per cent of the total population. [1991 & 2001 Census, ONS and ONS Mid Year Estimate (MYE), 2006].

The number of very elderly people (85+ years of age) was 7.2 per cent of the 60+ population in 2001, rising to 11.2 per cent of the 60+ population in 2006. [2001 Census, ONS, ONS Mid Year Estimate, 2006].

Ethnicity

Minority ethnic groups will account for some of the population increase, adding to the borough’s already rich mix of ethnicity and culture.

There are currently more than 100 different languages spoken in the borough, and it’s estimated that about 26 per cent of the Borough’s population are ethnic groups other than white [ONS experimental 2005].

The largest ethnic group other than White (2001 Census) is Black and Black British (11.1%), followed by Asian or Asian British (6.8%).

The following bullet points provide more detailed breakdowns by largest sub group.

Ethnic profile of the borough (2001 Census):

  • Black African - 7.1 per cent
  • Indian - 4.4 per cent
  • Other White – 4.3 per cent
  • Black Caribbean - 3.2 per cent
  • Irish - 1.6 per cent (born in Republic of Ireland)
The Wards with the highest percentages of ethnic residents other than white are all in the north of the borough:

  • Woolwich Common (41.3 per cent)
  • Woolwich Riverside (35.6 per cent)
  • Glyndon (38 per cent)
  • Plumstead (34.9 per cent)
Wards with the highest percentages of Indian residents:

  • Plumstead (11.7 per cent)
  • Glyndon (10.5 per cent)
  • Woolwich Common (9.2 per cent)
  • Shooters Hill (5.3 per cent)
Wards with the highest Black African population:

  • Thamesmead Moorings  (16.2 per cent)
  • Woolwich Riverside (16.1 per cent)
  • Woolwich Common (14.6 per cent)
Wards with the highest Black Caribbean population:

  • Glyndon (5.2 per cent)
  • Plumstead (5.0 per cent)
Other significant ethnic groups in the borough:

  • Pakistani
  • Bangladeshi   
  • Chinese and Other Asian (including Vietnamese)

Further information

The website www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk has extensive information about the population of Greenwich. Or contact us using the contact information in the right hand menu.

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