London is the first city in the world for millionaires. What about the indigent? More than a quarter of the British capital’s population lives in poverty. A study by British real estate consultant Knight Frank found that London became the first city in the world to surpass New York City in terms of the number of millionaires living there.
Although these two classes live in the same environment, the class gap between them is widening, which predicts unfortunate consequences that may threaten the social fabric of the city.
Even before Covid-19, London had the highest poverty rates in the UK according to figures released in London’s Poverty Profile 2020.
This report shows how the increase of poverty in the private rented sector, the higher costs of living in the capital, and the rise of in-work poverty had left many Londoners struggling before the Covid-19 crisis.
It is known that pandemics disproportionally affect those most disadvantaged and the economic consequences of Covid-19 will hit the poorest hardest. The data in this report, compiled before the pandemic, is an important baseline against which the impacts of Covid-19 on poverty in the capital can be measured. So that as we emerge from the crisis, we can all work together to ensure that no one has to live a life of poverty and that social and economic prosperity is shared more equitably.
London’s Poverty Profile was commissioned by Trust for London and produced by WPI Economics.
Key findings
Poverty continues to be higher in London than in any other region in the UK
- 28% of people live in poverty in London (2.5 million) compared to 22% in the UK.
- The costs of living in London are 15-58% higher than the rest of the UK.
- However the picture is mixed across London – six in ten (57%) of children in Tower Hamlets are in poverty, compared to two in ten (21%) in Sutton. Housing is a major driver of poverty and the housing crisis is getting worse
- Households in poverty in London face housing costs that, on average, amount to 56% of their net income compared to 37% in the rest of England.
- 56,000 of London’s households are in temporary accommodation; an increase of 30% compared to five years ago.
In-work poverty is rising
- Now 74% of adults in poverty in London (1,050,000) are in working families, up from 62% a decade ago.
London experiences huge inequalities in wealth and shared opportunities
- 4/10 Londoners do not meet what is deemed to be an acceptable standard of living.
- Those in the bottom half of London’s wealth distribution hold just 6.8% of the capital’s total wealth, compared with those in the top 10 percent, who hold 42.5%.
- And those in poor neighborhoods often experience other disadvantages. For example, weapons offenses are over three times as prevalent in the most income-deprived 10% of London neighborhoods compared to the least income-deprived 10%.
Trust for London will release another deep dive into poverty and inequality in London later this year. This will track the impact of Covid-19 on poverty and inequality in the capital.
