London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The following table is a summary of the age and sex constitution of London's
population :—
| Age (years) | 1931 | 1951 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |||||
| No. | % | No. | O/ /O | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 0- 4 | 150 | 7.3 | 147 | 6.2 | 141 | 9.1 | 136 | 7.6 |
| 5-14 | 327 | 16.0 | 323 | 13.7 | 197 | 12.7 | 188 | 10.5 |
| 15-34 | 735 | 36.0 | 837 | 35.6 | 458 | 29.4 | 523 | 29.2 |
| 35-64 | 702 | 34.3 | 854 | 36.3 | 619 | 39.8 | 712 | 39.7 |
| 65 and over | 130 | 6.4 | 192 | 8.2 | 140 | 9.0 | 232 | 13.0 |
| Total | 2,044 | 100.0 | 2,353 | 100.0 | 1,555 | 100.0 | 1,791 | 100.0 |
There has been an overall decline in population over the twenty years of just
over one million persons, or 24 per cent. of the 1931 population. The decrease is
greatest in the East London boroughs where there has been a fall of over 50 per cent.
in population; on the other hand the population of the Borough of Hampstead
increased by seven per cent. and there were very small increases in the boroughs of
Woolwich and Lewisham. Slum clearance, migration into outer London, change in
class of user of residential accommodation and bomb damage have been the prime
factors in the cause of this change.
The higher fertility of earlier years in inflating the present middle age-groups by
the increase in the proportions at ages 35-64 years is demonstrated by the above
figures which also reflect the improved survival rates, especially of women. In brief
the population is an ageing one, and as the bulge in the age pyramid at ages 35-64
years passes into old age the general death-rate, which has been declining and has
now reached what appears to be a stable level, may be expected to rise again. The
increased proportions of children under 5 years is the effect of the temporary postwar
boom in births. The build-up of London's population corresponds to the national
experience, as instanced by the figures for England and Wales, except that there are
rather fewer school children and more young adults (about two per cent.) in the
London proportions for both census years.
A vital constituent of the population is the proportion of married women at
ages 15-44 years—the child-bearing years.
| Age (years) | London | England and Wales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 1951 | 1931 | 1951 | |
| 15-19 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 4.5 |
| 20-24 | 23.1 | 44.2 | 25.8 | 48.4 |
| 25-34 | 61.3 | 76.6 | 67.0 | 81.9 |
| 35-44 | 76.3 | 81.9 | 80.6 | 86.6 |
During and after the war there was a tendency for spinsters to marry earlier,
thus increasing the average period of exposure of married women to the risk of childbearing.
This suggests the maintenance of the fertility rates at a level somewhat
above the experience of the nineteen-thirties. The London proportions of married
women are lower than the corresponding national figures for both census years.
Congenial employment is a contributory factor to good health and certain kinds
of employment present a direct hazard to health. Table 31 in the Appendix shows
the pattern of change in occupation between 1931 and 1951. Although changes in the