Socio-economic statistics for Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets

Socio-economic statistics for Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets

Is Bethnal Green in Tower Hamlets a nice place to live or is it a bit rough? We have collated a series of socio-economic statistics and demographics from UK government sources such as the 2021 Census and the Index of Multiple Deprivation. They should give you a broad snapshot of the area and the surrounding locations. Are the residents of Bethnal Green older than the national average or younger? What is the population of Bethnal Green and Tower Hamlets? What is the claimant count in Bethnal Green and how many residents are unemployed? This page should provide you with the answers.

Bethnal Green & Tower Hamlets Immigration Statistics

We have analysed the Census 2021 raw data on country of birth and compiled immigration statistics as percentages of the population. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. Below are the figures for Bethnal Green in the Tower Hamlets local area district.

AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
Spitalfields & Banglatown46.86%53.14%
Tower Hamlets53.2%46.8%
London59.37%40.63%
England82.65%17.35%

Bethnal Green compared to other wards in Tower Hamlets

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Canary Wharf39.06%60.94%
2Blackwall & Cubitt Town43.31%56.69%
3Whitechapel44.77%55.23%
4Spitalfields & Banglatown46.86%53.14%
5Limehouse49.01%50.99%
6Island Gardens51.05%48.95%
7Poplar51.54%48.46%
8St Katharine's & Wapping52.92%47.08%
9Shadwell52.99%47.01%
10Lansbury54.48%45.52%
11Mile End54.9%45.1%
12Bromley South54.97%45.03%
13Stepney Green55.02%44.98%
14St Peter's56.05%43.95%
15Bromley North56.16%43.84%
16Weavers56.44%43.56%
17St Dunstan's57.7%42.3%
18Bethnal Green58.28%41.72%
19Bow East63.93%36.08%
20Bow West64.84%35.16%
';Bethnal Green is ranked 4 out of 20 wards in Tower Hamlets for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Bethnal Green Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Spitalfields & Banglatown.
Age BandProportion
4 & under
5 - 9 years
10 - 15 years
16 - 19 years
20 - 24 years
25 - 34 years
35 - 49 years
50 - 64 years
65 - 74 years
75 - 84 years
85 years & over

Bethnal Green Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Bethnal Green residents have in terms of formal qualifications as a percentage. The UK government breaks qualifications down into 7 levels. A detailed explanation of these levels can be found here. However, the Census groups these into just 4 \'levels\'. Here are some examples of the qualifications each census level represents when not stated;

  • Level 1 - GCSE grades D, E, F, or G & below
  • Level 2 - GCSE A*, A, B, C or O Level grades A, B or C
  • Level 3 - A or AS qualification at any grade
  • Level 4 - HNC, Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree or Phd

In this first table we have compared Bethnal Green to the national average for England.
LevelSpitalfields & BanglatownEngland
No Qualifications16.92%18.08%
Level 16.13%9.69%
Level 28.1%13.32%
Apprenticeship1.9%5.32%
Level 312.58%16.92%
Level 451.62%33.92%

Bethnal Green Unemployment Statistics

Since the introduction of Universal Credit, The Department for Work & Pensions have not issued any statistics (in our view) that can be used to ascertain the levels of unemployment or under employment in the UK, just meaningless geographic counts. However, the Office of National Statistics does publish claimant counts of people receiving out of work benefits, be that legacy Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit as a proportion of people over 16. These figures are usually updated once a month and are for Local Authority Districts and Unitary Authority Districts. So below are the figures of Tower Hamlets.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Tower Hamlets5.2%-0.8%
London4.8%-0.4%
England3.8%-0.3%
UK3.7%-0.3%
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Last Retrieved: March 2023
The 2021 census had data on people who were economically active (seeking work) yet unemployed on Census day (Sunday March 21st 2021). These statitics do cover Bethnal Green on a ward level. However, it has to be noted that the Census day was during the height of the Covid19 pandemic and therefore are not reflective of normal levels of unemployment. For example, between March 2020 and June 2020 people claiming Universal Credit doubled in most areas of the United Kingdom and then steadily declined up to the day of the Census and beyond. This data also contains the proportion of people in part-time work (working between 1-35 hours per week), which maybe an indicator of under employment in Bethnal Green.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment53.48%
In Part-Time Work21.94%
Unemployed8.76%
78.06% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Bethnal Green

Bethnal Green Health Statistics

Spitalfields & Banglatown has more residents (very_good_pc-$country_health->very_good_pc, 2)%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.
AreaVGGFBVB
Spitalfields & Banglatown53.01%31.52%10.15%3.89%1.43%
Tower Hamlets52.97%32.13%10.05%3.6%1.26%
London53.55%31.85%10.33%3.23%1.05%
England48.49%33.71%12.65%3.98%1.17%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

How has the health of residents in Tower Hamlets changed since 2011?

Tower Hamlets residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 1.79% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201150.56%32.75%10.65%4.42%1.62%
202152.97%32.13%10.05%3.6%1.26%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

What are the occupations of the residents of Bethnal Green?

The largest employment sector in Bethnal Green is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Skilled Trades.
SectorProportion
Professional Occupations32.88%
Associate Professional & Technical19.01%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials12.53%
Elementary Occupations7.63%
Administrative & Secretarial6.51%
Caring, leisure & Other Services5.2%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives4.49%
Skilled Trades4.47%

How many residents own or rent their home in Bethnal Green and Tower Hamlets

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Bethnal Green either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 20.76 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 79.24 of Bethnal Green residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
Spitalfields & Banglatown20.76%79.24%
Tower Hamlets23.13%76.87%
London45.23%54.77%
England61.31%38.69%

Bethnal Green has a significantly lower level of home ownership than the national average. This is indicative or an economically deprived area.

Bethnal Green compared to other wards in Tower Hamlets

#WardOwnedRented
1St Katharine's & Wapping35.05%64.95%
2Limehouse33.21%66.79%
3Bow West31.58%68.42%
4Island Gardens29.03%70.97%
5Bow East28.16%71.84%
6Blackwall & Cubitt Town23.78%76.22%
7Bethnal Green23.2%76.8%
8Mile End (Tower Hamlets)22.26%77.74%
9Weavers22.22%77.78%
10Bromley North21.42%78.58%
11St Peter's (Tower Hamlets)21.35%78.65%
12Canary Wharf20.96%79.04%
13Stepney Green20.87%79.13%
14Spitalfields & Banglatown20.76%79.24%
15Bromley South19.83%80.17%
16Lansbury19.78%80.22%
17Shadwell17.88%82.12%
18Poplar (Tower Hamlets)17.83%82.17%
19St Dunstan's17.58%82.42%
20Whitechapel16.63%83.37%
Bethnal Green is ranked 14 out of 20 wards in Tower Hamlets for the percentage of home owners.

What is the population of Bethnal Green and Tower Hamlets?

The table below contains the populations figures for each ward in Tower Hamlets including Bethnal Green. These population ONS figures are estimated are dated Mid 2020.

WardPopulation
Bethnal Green23349
Blackwall & Cubitt Town22369
Bow East20622
Bow West14609
Bromley North10714
Bromley South14960
Canary Wharf19454
Island Gardens17572
Lansbury19103
Limehouse7817
Mile End23853
Poplar7931
Shadwell15009
Spitalfields & Banglatown14932
St Dunstan's14577
St Katharine's & Wapping13425
St Peter's22211
Stepney Green12980
Weavers15389
Whitechapel21093
Tower Hamlets Total331969



Last updated: 20/02/2024, Additional Sources: Office for National Statistics & Department for Work & Pensions.