London’s population falls for first time since 2021, ONS data shows

London-wide trend

BBC London reported that the Office for National Statistics estimated London’s population at 9,122,909 in mid-2025, a fall of 0.3% from the 9,149,646 recorded a year earlier. This marks the first annual drop since 2021, according to the same source.

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Migration and birth‑death figures

The ONS also said net international migration to the UK fell to 211,700 in the year to mid-2025, down from 612,500 the previous twelve months. Births numbered 588,000 and deaths 568,400, giving a natural increase of just 19,600, the lowest birth figure since mid-1978 and the lowest death toll since mid-2019.

Implications for Barnet

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Although the release gave borough‑level percentages for Camden, Westminster and Southwark, it did not specify the change for Barnet, leaving its 2025 figure unclear. BBC London noted that more than two‑thirds of the city’s 33 boroughs saw a decline, so Barnet could be among those that shrank, but the exact number remains unknown.