Socio-economic statistics for South Kensington, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Is South Kensington in Kensington and Chelsea 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 South Kensington older than the national average or younger? What is the population of South Kensington and Kensington and Chelsea? What is the claimant count in South Kensington and how many residents are unemployed? This page should provide you with the answers.

South Kensington & Kensington and Chelsea 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 South Kensington in the Kensington and Chelsea local area district.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Redcliffe	41.12%	58.88%
Kensington and Chelsea	46.08%	53.92%
London	59.37%	40.63%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Kensington compared to other wards in Kensington and Chelsea

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Queen's Gate	32.95%	67.05%
2	Earl's Court	35.33%	64.67%
3	Courtfield	35.67%	64.33%
4	Abingdon	38.19%	61.81%
5	Holland	39.25%	60.75%
6	Brompton & Hans Town	39.64%	60.36%
7	Redcliffe	41.12%	58.88%
8	Campden	42.72%	57.28%
9	Pembridge	43.74%	56.26%
10	Royal Hospital	46.67%	53.33%
11	Stanley	48.83%	51.17%
12	Colville	52.29%	47.71%
13	Chelsea Riverside	52.73%	47.27%
14	Golborne	53.05%	46.95%
15	Norland	55.99%	44.01%
16	Notting Dale	57.21%	42.79%
17	Dalgarno	59.75%	40.25%
18	St. Helen's	61.88%	38.12%

';South Kensington is ranked 7 out of 18 wards in Kensington and Chelsea for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Kensington Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education South Kensington 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 South Kensington to the national average for England.

Level	Redcliffe	England
No Qualifications	7.75%	18.08%
Level 1	2.88%	9.69%
Level 2	6.08%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	1.15%	5.32%
Level 3	13.37%	16.92%
Level 4	65.18%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

How many residents own or rent their home in South Kensington and Kensington and Chelsea

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in South Kensington either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 38.59 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 61.41 of South Kensington residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Redcliffe	38.59%	61.41%
Kensington and Chelsea	31.68%	68.32%
London	45.23%	54.77%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

South Kensington compared to other wards in Kensington and Chelsea

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Campden	45.34%	54.66%
2	Queen's Gate	40.12%	59.88%
3	Norland	40.03%	59.97%
4	Abingdon	38.7%	61.3%
5	Royal Hospital	38.65%	61.35%
6	Redcliffe	38.59%	61.41%
7	Holland	37.69%	62.31%
8	Stanley (Kensington and Chelsea)	36.91%	63.09%
9	Pembridge	36.2%	63.8%
10	Courtfield	34.91%	65.09%
11	Brompton & Hans Town	33.3%	66.7%
12	Chelsea Riverside	29.95%	70.05%
13	St. Helen's (Kensington and Chelsea)	28.83%	71.17%
14	Earl's Court	26.11%	73.89%
15	Colville	21.92%	78.08%
16	Dalgarno	16.99%	83.01%
17	Notting Dale	12.76%	87.24%
18	Golborne	11.88%	88.12%

South Kensington is ranked 6 out of 18 wards in Kensington and Chelsea for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of South Kensington?

The largest employment sector in South Kensington is Managers, Directors & Senior Officials. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.

Sector	Proportion
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	30.92%
Professional Occupations	30.25%
Associate Professional & Technical	19.1%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	5.86%
Administrative & Secretarial	5.59%
Elementary Occupations	2.3%
Skilled Trades	1.53%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	1.41%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

South Kensington Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Redcliffe.

Age Band	Proportion
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

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Kensington Health Statistics

Redcliffe has significantly more residents (>5%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.

Area	VG	G	F	B	VB
Redcliffe	66.16%	23.64%	6.98%	2.52%	0.7%
Kensington and Chelsea	59.61%	26.71%	9.2%	3.35%	1.13%
London	53.55%	31.85%	10.33%	3.23%	1.05%
England	48.49%	33.71%	12.65%	3.98%	1.17%

VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

How has the health of residents in Kensington and Chelsea changed since 2011?

Kensington and Chelsea residents who describe their health as either good or very good has decreased by 0% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	57.84%	28.48%	9.12%	3.38%	1.18%
2021	59.61%	26.71%	9.2%	3.35%	1.13%

VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Kensington 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 Kensington and Chelsea.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
Kensington and Chelsea	3.4%	-0.6%
London	4.8%	-0.4%
England	3.8%	-0.3%
UK	3.7%	-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 South Kensington 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 South Kensington.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	59.35%
In Part-Time Work	19.57%
Unemployed	4.5%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

80.43% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in South Kensington

What is the population of South Kensington and Kensington and Chelsea?

The table below contains the populations figures for each ward in Kensington and Chelsea including South Kensington. These population ONS figures are estimated are dated Mid 2020.

Ward	Population
Abingdon	9806
Brompton & Hans Town	9914
Campden	10080
Chelsea Riverside	8416
Colville	8834
Courtfield	10044
Dalgarno	6993
Earl's Court	9894
Golborne	7593
Holland	8857
Norland	6040
Notting Dale	7438
Pembridge	5831
Queen's Gate	10097
Redcliffe	10389
Royal Hospital	10110
St. Helen's	5774
Stanley	10754
Kensington and Chelsea Total	156864

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

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