Contents

People and Equalities

Bexley’s population in 2023

250,8531

 

Bexley is a growing borough: by 2030 our population will be 257,000 and 267,000 by 20402

  • we are the 13th least populated borough in London and less populated than our neighbouring boroughs
  • we have one of the lowest proportions, in London, of residents moving in and out of the borough
Bexley population

Age

  • 31% of Bexley residents are young people (under the age of 25) which makes us the 14th youngest borough in London1.
  • the largest ten-year age group in Bexley is 40 to 49-year-olds at 14.0%1.
  • Bexley has the 4th highest rate of people aged 65 and over in London at 16.6%1. This number will increase to 21.8% in 20502.
  • higher populations of older people living alone are found in the south and centre of the borough3.
Age group%Percentage
0 to 912.4%
 
10 to 1912.8%
 
20 to 2911.2%
 
30 to 3914.2%
 
40 to 4913.8%
 
50 to 5913.3%
 
60 to 6910.2%
 
70 to 797.4%
 
80 to 894.0%
 
90 plus0.9%
 

Ethnicity

Bexley population diversity

Bexley is a diverse borough, our ethnic minority population is increasing and will continue to do so – this is in line with our neighbouring boroughs and is catching up with the rest of London.

28.1% of residents are from an ethnic minority background (excluding white minorities). Including white minorities, 35.6% of residents are from an ethnic minority background.4

The north of the borough has a larger ethnic minority population - Thamesmead East, Belvedere and Slade Green and North End wards have the highest population of residents from ethnic minority backgrounds.3

90% of residents, aged three and over, speak English as their main language. This is higher than the London average but has decreased by 4% since 2011. The top 3 languages spoken in Bexley, other than English, are Romanian, Panjabi, and Polish.4

Our ethnic group breakdown in 2021 is:4

Asian or Asian British

  • Bangladeshi 0.7%
  • Chinese 1.6%
  • Indian 4.4%
  • Pakistani 0.6%
  • Any other Asian background 2.6% 

Black, Black British, Caribbean or African

  • African 9.4%
  • Caribbean 1.3%
  • Any other Black, Black British, or Caribbean background 1.5%

Mixed or multiple ethnic group

  • White & Asian 0.9%
  • White & Black African 0.7%
  • White & Black Caribbean 1%
  • Any other Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups 1%

Other ethnic groups

  • Arab 0.2%
  • Any other ethnic group 2.2%

White

  • English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British 64.4%
  • Irish 1%
  • Gypsy or Irish Traveller 0.3%
  • Roma 0.1%
  • Any other White background 6%
religions

Religion

  • 60% of residents say they are religious. This has declined over time. In 2011, 24% of residents said they had no religion. In 2021, this figure rose to 34%
  • the 3 largest religions are Christian (50%), Muslim (4%) and Hindu (3%)
  • the proportion of Christian residents is decreasing - in 2011 62% of residents described themselves Christian, compared to 50% in 2021. The proportion of Hindu residents has increased from 1.5% in 2011 to 3% in 2021 and Muslim residents have increased from 2.4% in 2011 to 3.9% in 20214
  • in 2022, there were 19 faith-based hate crime offences, 2 Anti-Semitic hate crime offences and 10 Islamophobic hate crime offences reported in Bexley5

Sex and Gender Identity

The  2021 Census is the first official data on the size of the transgender population in England & Wales. This was a voluntary question in the 2021 census; 6% of residents aged 16 and over did not answer (both for England & Wales and Bexley).

  • Over 1,000 people aged over 16 in Bexley did not identify with their registered sex at birth (0.5%)6
     

Female residents

51.9%

Bexley has more female residents than male - 48.1% of the population is male and 51.9% of the population is female in 2021. It is expected that this will remain the same in 20502

Male employment

82%

The employment rate for men is similar to but higher at 82% than women at 79%7

Pay gap

£165

There is a growing gender pay gap for Bexley residents, with male full-time workers earning £165 more a week on average than female full-time workers weekly. This gap is also seen at a London and national level7

Gender and education

  • girls achieve higher grades at both Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 than boys in Bexley
  • at Key Stage 2, 69% of girls achieved the expected level or higher in reading, writing and maths in 2021/22. This was 8 percentage points higher than the 61% for boys8
  • at Key Stage 4, girls achieved a 54.4 attainment 8 score in 2021/22. This was 4.1 higher than boys9

Gender and crime

  • domestic abuse offences have risen from 2019 to 2022 by 2.5%, however, this is less than London which had an increase of 7%5
  • MARAC cases (high-risk domestic abuse cases) have increased by 13.4% between 2021 and 2022; 27% of these cases related to residents with an ethnic minority background)10
  • Female Genital Mutilation instances are reported in Bexley, with 15 cases in 2021/22 however we have a lower number of cases compared to our neighbouring boroughs11
  • There were 6 recorded hate crime offences related to transgender people in Bexley in 20225
gender
LGBTQ

Sexual orientation (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer/Questioning - LGBQ+)

  • Sexual orientation was a voluntary question in the 2021 census; 7% of residents aged 16 and over did not answer.
  • 2.11% of the population aged 16 and over identified with an LGB+ orientation. This is over 4000 people in total: around 2000 gay or lesbian, 1500 bisexual, 350 pansexual and 150 asexual, queer or other sexual orientations
  • The remaining 91% identified as straight or heterosexual
  • Bexley has a lower LGB+ population than London (4.3%) and England & Wales (3.2%)6
  • there were 52 recorded hate crime offences related to sexual orientation in 2022 in Bexley 5

Births, deaths and marriages

  • birth rate is declining. There were 2765 births in 202212
  • the average age when giving birth was 31 years old13
  • at the time of the Census, 46% of the population aged 16 and over are married or in a civil partnership. A further 11% were divorced or separated 14
  • the number of marriages has been steady from 2014 excluding 2020/21 when they fell significantly due to coronavirus. In 2022 they returned to pre-pandemic levels with 712 marriages, which included 15 same-sex marriages 15
  • there were 16 civil partnerships (15 opposite sex and one same sex) in 2022 16
  • each year,  around 2% of marriages are for same-sex couples15
  • death rates are generally increasing over time from 1,800 in 2010. There were 2226 deaths in 202317
Births, deaths and marriages

Disability

The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone with a physical or mental injury. It must be substantial or long-term (likely to last more than 12 months) and affect their ability to conduct day-to-day activities.

  • in 2021, 36083 residents had one or more disability/illness, similar to the 37053 in 2011. This is 14.6% of the population, compared to 16% in 2011.18
  • for 8.4% of residents their disability/illness limits day-to-day activities a little, and for a further 6.2% their day-to-day activities are limited a lot18
  • 29.3% of households in Bexley reported that they have at least one person living there with an illness or disability18
  • health and age are closely related, with older people being more likely to be in poorer health. ONS have calculated an age-standardised percentage (ASP) of 15.4% for Bexley to compare to other geographies which will have a different population size and age profile. The 15.4% is made up from 8.8% (ASP) of residents where their disability/illness limits day-to-day activities a little, and 6.6% (ASP) where their day-to-day activities are limited a lot18
  • 0.4% of residents have a learning disability19
  • 3.4% of school-aged pupils in Bexley have a learning disability20
  • the rate per 10,000 for children in need due to a child’s disability or illness was 41.2 in 201821
  • employment - 20% of residents (aged 16 to 64) are disabled (core or work-limiting disabled) in 202122
  • the employment rate for residents with a disability (aged 16 to 64) is 59.2% (2021)22
  • in 2021/22, 16.4% of 16 to 64 aged residents with learning disabilities were in paid employment23
  • 5% of adults in contact with secondary mental health services were in paid employment24
  • education - in 2022/23, 10.6% (4722) of pupils were identified as having SEN Support; higher than the previous two years but lower than the five years prior to that25
  • 4.2% (1,877) of pupils had an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) or a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN). This has increased in recent years from 2.6% in 2015/16 26
  • 94% of 16/17-year-olds with an ECHP or statement of SEN were participating in education or training and 6% were not or their activity not known 27
  • crime - there had been 12 hate crime offences related to disability by the end of 20225

Sources

  1. Mid-year Population Estimates, ONS
  2. 2021-based Housing-led population projections, identified capacity, GLA - 2021
  3. ONS Interactive Census map - older people living alone - 2021
  4. Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion - ONS Census 2021
  5. Monthly Crime Dashboard Data, MPS - 2022
  6. Sexual orientation and gender identity - ONS Census 2021
  7. Bexley Labour Market Statistics, Nomis - 2022
  8. Education Key Stage 2 results by gender, DfE - 2021/22
  9. Education Key Stage 4 results by gender, DfE - 2021/22
  10. Local data
  11. FGM Annual Report, NHS Digital - 2021/22
  12. Live births, ONS - 2022
  13. Monthly Maternity Statistics, NHS Digital - 2024
  14. Legal partnerships, ONS – Census 2021
  15. Marriages, ONS - 2022
  16. Civil partnerships, ONS - 2022
  17. Deaths, ONS - 2023
  18. Health, disability and unpaid care, ONS Census 2021
  19. Learning Disability QOF prevalence NHS Digital - 2021/22
  20. Pupils with a learning disability, OHID - 2017
  21. Children in need due to child illness or disability, OHID - 2018
  22. Employment rates by disability, ONS - 2021
  23. Adults in receipt of long-term support for learning disabilities in paid employment, NHS Digital - 2021/22
  24. Adults in contact with secondary mental health in paid employment (1F), NHS Digital - 2021/22
  25. Pupils having Special Educational Needs support, DfE – 2022/23
  26. Pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans, DfE – 2022/23
  27. Pupils in Education, Employment or Training, DfE - 2023