View report page

8
The significant changes which have occurred since the beginning
of the century in the age-constitution of the population and which
have been suspected are here confirmed.
Chart i shows the population of Finsbury in 1901 and 1948,
and from it, it is seen that the great drop in population from 102,000
to 35,000 has been entirely among those of the lower age groups,
and that there are actually more persons over 65 now than in 1901.
Chart 2 demonstrates the changed age character of the population
during the period under consideration.
The following figures illustrate the increase in the proportion
of the population of those aged 65 and over. It is seen that whereas
in 1901 this was in Finsbury below the general average for London
and the rest of the country, now it is slightly above the corresponding
figures. In consequence the rate of increase has been much higher
in Finsbury than in most other areas.
Finsbury
London
England
and
Wales
Proportion of Population aged over 65: per cent. per cent. per cent.
1901 3.1 4.1 4.7
1948 11.2 10.8 10.9
Percentage Increase from 1901 to 1948 261 163 132
Live Births.
The total number of live births belonging to the Borough was
671 including 52 illegitimate births and consisting of 355 males and
316 females, giving a rate of 18.6 per 1,000 civilian population.
The birth rate for England and Wales was 16.7 per 1,000 total population
and 18.5 per 1,000 civilian population.
Stillbirths.
The total number of stillbirths allocated to the Borough during
the year was 16. This figure represents 2.3 per cent of the total
births compared with a similar figure for England and Wales and
2.0 per cent for the administrative County of London. Expressed
as a proportion of the population the figures are 0.44 per 1,000
civilian population for Finsbury as against 0.37 for the Administrative
County of London and 0.39 for England and Wales (total population).