London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
VITAL STATISTICS* Population Table (i)—Population (a), 1949-58
| Year | Mid-year estimate of population by the Registrar General, by age groups | Average age (years) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 0-4 | 5-14 | 15-24 | 25-44 | 45-64 | 65+ | ||
| 1949 | 3,375,470 | 276,200 | 367,000 | 2,732,270 | ||||
| 1950 | 3,389,620 | 276,200 | 370,000 | V 1,437,960 | V 1,305,460 | |||
| 1951 | 3,358,000 | 274,000 | 381,000 | 419,000 | 1,101,000 | 812,000 | 371,000 | 36.5 |
| 1952 | 3,363,000 | 256,000 | 400,000 | 416,000 | 1,091,000 | 822,000 | 378,000 | 36.7 |
| 1953 | 3,343,000 | 244,000 | 413,000 | 410,000 | 1,072,000 | 826,000 | 378,000 | 36.7 |
| 1954 | 3,322,000 | 234,000 | 425,000 | 394,000 | 1,056,000 | 827,000 | 386,000 | 36.9 |
| 1955 | 3,295,000 | 230,000 | 421,000 | 391,000 | 1,037,000 | 829,000 | 387,000 | 37.1 |
| 1956 | 3,273,000 | 229,000 | 427,000 | 384,000 | 1,018,000 | 829,000 | 386,000 | 37.1 |
| 1957 | 3,254,000 | 230,000 | 425,000 | 383,000 | 974,000 | 843,000 | 399,000 | 37.4 |
| 1958 M | 1,509,000 | 119,000 | 213,000 | 179,000 | 468,000 | 386,000 | 144,000 | 35.7 |
| F | 1,716,000 | 112,000 | 205,000 | 208,000 | 481,000 | 457,000 | 253,000 | 39.0 |
| 3,225,000 | 231,000 | 418,000 | 387,000 | 949,000 | 843,000 | 397,000 | 37.5 | |
(a) 1949—Resident civilian population.
1950—Home population, i.e., resident civilian population, members of the Merchant Navy at home and overseas and
members of the Armed Forces stationed in the area.
1951—Home population, i.e., resident civilian population, plus any British, Commonwealth or Foreign Armed
Forces stationed in the area.
There was a net loss of 29,000 in the population from the previous year's figure,
mostly in the 25-44 years age group.
Fertility Table (ii)—Live births and still-births—1949-58
| Year | Live births | Still-births | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Rate per 1,000 population* | No. | Rate per 1,000 total births (live and still) | |
| 1949 | 56,547 | 16.5 | 1,129 | 19.6 |
| 1950 | 53,660 | 15.8 | 1,055 | 19.3 |
| 1951 | 52,387 | 15.6 | 1,073 | 20.1 |
| 1952 | 51,443 | 15.3 | 1,000 | 19.1 |
| 1953 | 50,992 | 15.3 | 1,088 | 20.9 |
| 1954 | 50,745 | 15.3 | 1,029 | 19.9 |
| 1955 | 49,826 | 15.1 | 1,034 | 20.3 |
| 1956 | 52,171 | 15.9 | 1,070 | 20.1 |
| 1957 | 52,733 | 16.2 | 1,083 | 20.1 |
| 1958 | 54.152 | 16.8 | 1,102 | 19.9 |
* 1949—Total population. 1950—Home population.
Live births There were 63,323 live births registered in London in the year ; after correction for
residence the final figure of births allocated to London was 54,152, an increase of 1,419
over 1957, giving a birth rate of 16.8 per 1,000 population, compared with 16.2 in 1957
and 15.9 in 1956. The post-war trend in London followed closely that for England and
* The statistics given are based on the latest information available from the Registrar General: instances have occurred
in the past in which figures have been subsequently corrected so that data for a previous year may differ from that published
in the Annual Report for that year.
4