UIC - London - Location & Importance
The location and importance of the city in the UK and the wider world
London can stake a claim to be the world’s greatest city, it is certainly one of the most globalised, connected and influential places on planet earth even if it isn’t the largest city by area or population size.
London can be found in the South East of England, located on the River Thames which has been influential in its growth, and in the centre of the densest population of the UK. It also hosts the parliament of the UK.
Within Europe, London is part of Europe’s economic core, the area producing the majority of the GDP or wealth of Europe, in what is called Europe’s “hot banana” alongside Paris, Geneva, and Milan. London also has a Global reach, through its major airports Heathrow and Gatwick, and its economic pull via the City of London and the Stock Exchange.
London’s population has started to grow again after shrinking post World War II, and currently stands at over 8 million.
London remains an influential city both within the UK and the wider world, look at the fact file below.
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Location and population • London’s population is 12.5% of the UK’s on just 0.6% of the land • It is 36.5 miles west to east and 30 miles North to south • Peak population in 1939 • It is predicted to go beyond that level soon and is currently 8.98 million (2019) • 117,500 babies were born in London in 2019 • The wider London area has a population of over 9 million people • It is the world’s 10th largest Capital city • Tokyo is the largest with 37 million people! |
Travel Hub • Journeys by private car have fallen in London since 2000 • Public transport journeys have increased by 40% since 2000 • 700,000 bike journeys are made every day in the capital. Cycle trips increased by 144% from 200 to 2018! • London has several major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, City and London Stansted • Heathrow carried 80 million passengers in 2019, more than all the other airports put together. It connects to cities all over the world |
Tourism • London is one of the most visited cities in the world • London has one of the highest tourist spend in the world with $15.73 billion in 2019 • 19.8 million people visited London in 2018 • 19, 930 jobs i n London are reliant upon Tourism (2019) |
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Finance • Londoners earn £736 a week on average, £152 more than the UK average (2019) • Londoners spend £658 a week to live—£106 more than the UK average. • The average London house price went above £667,000 in 2020 compared to a national average of £232,000 • London has the 5th largest city economy after Tokyo, Beijing Paris and Seoul • London accounts for 27.4% of the Gross Value added of the UK in 2018 • London generates 23.6% of the UK’s GDP |
Education • London has 40 higher education institutions including some of the World’s top universities • 410,000 students attend these institutions • 125,000 international students study in London (2019) • London represents one-third of higher education institutions nationally • And one fifth of the UK’s student population • Over ½ of Londoners have a degree |
Business Over half of the UK's top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe's 500 largest companies have their headquarters in central London. |
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Cultural diversity • Over 2 million Londoners do not speak English at home • The 3 most common languages spoken at home other than English are Bengali, Urdu and Polish • One third of Londoners were born abroad…the top 3 countries are India, Poland and Bangladesh • 44% of Londoners are from Black, Asian or minority ethnic group • There are over 300 languages spoken in London, more than any other city in the world. |
Green space • 65% of London’s land is either gardens, public green space or water • 223 of London’s Parks and green spaces hold Green Flag awards • London has 8 Royal Parks |
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