Socio-economic statistics for Wapping, Southwark

Socio-economic statistics for Wapping, Southwark

We have collated a series of socio-economic statistics for Wapping in Southwark from UK government sources such as the 2021 Census and the Index of Multiple Deprivation. They should give you a broad snapshot of the area and the surrounding locations. Are the residents of Wapping older than the national average or younger? What is the population of Wapping and Southwark? Is Wapping an unemployment hotspot? This page should provide you with the answers.

How many residents own or rent their home in Wapping and Southwark

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Wapping either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 24.38 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 75.62 of Wapping residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
Area Owned Rented
North Bermondsey 24.38% 75.62%
Southwark 28.86% 71.14%
London 45.23% 54.77%
England 61.31% 38.69%

Wapping has a significantly lower level of home ownership than the national average. This is indicative or an economically deprived area.

Wapping compared to other wards in Southwark

# Ward Owned Rented
1 Dulwich Village 68.37% 31.63%
2 Dulwich Hill 53.84% 46.16%
3 Peckham Rye 50.44% 49.56%
4 Dulwich Wood 48.22% 51.78%
5 Goose Green 47.83% 52.17%
6 Champion Hill 38.76% 61.24%
7 Surrey Docks 35.31% 64.69%
8 Rye Lane 33.18% 66.82%
9 St Giles 31.66% 68.34%
10 Nunhead & Queen's Road 30.12% 69.88%
11 North Bermondsey 24.38% 75.62%
12 London Bridge & West Bermondsey 23.14% 76.86%
13 Rotherhithe 22.78% 77.22%
14 St George's (Southwark) 22.32% 77.68%
15 Camberwell Green 22.01% 77.99%
16 Borough & Bankside 21.99% 78.01%
17 Newington (Southwark) 20.45% 79.55%
18 South Bermondsey 20.4% 79.6%
19 Chaucer 19.34% 80.66%
20 Peckham 19.19% 80.81%
21 North Walworth 18.27% 81.73%
22 Old Kent Road 17.63% 82.37%
23 Faraday 15.66% 84.34%
Wapping is ranked 11 out of 23 wards in Southwark for the percentage of home owners.

Wapping Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Wapping residents have in terms of formal qualifications as a percentage. The UK government breaks qualifications down into 7 levels. A detailed explanation of these levels can be found here. However, the Census groups these into just 4 \'levels\'. Here are some examples of the qualifications each census level represents when not stated;

  • Level 1 - GCSE grades D, E, F, or G & below
  • Level 2 - GCSE A*, A, B, C or O Level grades A, B or C
  • Level 3 - A or AS qualification at any grade
  • Level 4 - HNC, Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree or Phd

In this first table we have compared Wapping to the national average for England.
Level North Bermondsey England
No Qualifications 13.72% 18.08%
Level 1 5.33% 9.69%
Level 2 7.08% 13.32%
Apprenticeship 2.29% 5.32%
Level 3 10.41% 16.92%
Level 4 58.82% 33.92%

What are the occupations of the residents of Wapping?

The largest employment sector in Wapping is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
Sector Proportion
Professional Occupations 33.42%
Associate Professional & Technical 17.05%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials 16.75%
Elementary Occupations 7.83%
Administrative & Secretarial 6.82%
Caring, leisure & Other Services 6.07%
Skilled Trades 4.4%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives 2.94%

Wapping Health Statistics

North Bermondsey has significantly more residents (>5%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.
Area VG G F B VB
North Bermondsey 56.73% 29.64% 9.46% 3.13% 1.03%
Southwark 55.79% 30.34% 9.75% 3.1% 1.02%
London 53.55% 31.85% 10.33% 3.23% 1.05%
England 48.49% 33.71% 12.65% 3.98% 1.17%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

How has the health of residents in Southwark changed since 2011?

Southwark residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 1.42% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
Year VG G F B VB
2011 53.49% 31.22% 10.38% 3.66% 1.25%
2021 55.79% 30.34% 9.75% 3.1% 1.02%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Wapping Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in North Bermondsey.
Age Band Proportion
4 & under
5 - 9 years
10 - 15 years
16 - 19 years
20 - 24 years
25 - 34 years
35 - 49 years
50 - 64 years
65 - 74 years
75 - 84 years
85 years & over

Wapping Unemployment Statistics

Since the introduction of Universal Credit, The Department for Work & Pensions have not issued any statistics (in our view) that can be used to ascertain the levels of unemployment or under employment in the UK, just meaningless geographic counts. However, the Office of National Statistics does publish claimant counts of people receiving out of work benefits, be that legacy Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit as a proportion of people over 16. These figures are usually updated once a month and are for Local Authority Districts and Unitary Authority Districts. So below are the figures of Southwark.
Area Unemployed Yearly Change
Southwark 5.1% -0.7%
London 4.8% -0.4%
England 3.8% -0.3%
UK 3.7% -0.3%
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Last Retrieved: March 2023
The 2021 census had data on people who were economically active (seeking work) yet unemployed on Census day (Sunday March 21st 2021). These statitics do cover Wapping on a ward level. However, it has to be noted that the Census day was during the height of the Covid19 pandemic and therefore are not reflective of normal levels of unemployment. For example, between March 2020 and June 2020 people claiming Universal Credit doubled in most areas of the United Kingdom and then steadily declined up to the day of the Census and beyond. This data also contains the proportion of people in part-time work (working between 1-35 hours per week), which maybe an indicator of under employment in Wapping.
Economic Status Proportion
In Employment 66.75%
In Part-Time Work 17.5%
Unemployed 6.04%
82.5% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Wapping

Wapping & Southwark Immigration Statistics

We have analysed the Census 2021 raw data on country of birth and compiled immigration statistics as percentages of the population. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. Below are the figures for Wapping in the Southwark local area district.

Area Born in UK Born outside UK
North Bermondsey 56.85% 43.15%
Southwark 59.29% 40.71%
London 59.37% 40.63%
England 82.65% 17.35%

Wapping compared to other wards in Southwark

# Ward Born in UK Born outside UK
1 North Walworth 50.66% 49.34%
2 Borough & Bankside 51.33% 48.67%
3 Old Kent Road 51.96% 48.04%
4 Faraday 52.15% 47.85%
5 Chaucer 52.67% 47.33%
6 Rotherhithe 53.12% 46.88%
7 Surrey Docks 53.97% 46.03%
8 London Bridge & West Bermondsey 54.33% 45.67%
9 St George's 54.41% 45.59%
10 Camberwell Green 54.8% 45.2%
11 Peckham 56.05% 43.95%
12 North Bermondsey 56.85% 43.15%
13 Newington 57.84% 42.16%
14 South Bermondsey 57.89% 42.11%
15 St Giles 60.84% 39.16%
16 Champion Hill 62.2% 37.8%
17 Nunhead & Queen's Road 65.94% 34.06%
18 Rye Lane 66.06% 33.94%
19 Dulwich Wood 67.81% 32.19%
20 Dulwich Hill 73.17% 26.83%
21 Goose Green 73.93% 26.07%
22 Peckham Rye 74.16% 25.84%
23 Dulwich Village 77.38% 22.62%
'; Wapping is ranked 12 out of 23 wards in Southwark for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

What is the population of Wapping and Southwark?

The table below contains the populations figures for each ward in Southwark including Wapping. These population ONS figures are estimated are dated Mid 2020.

Ward Population
Borough & Bankside 11108
Camberwell Green 15162
Champion Hill 10512
Chaucer 15172
Dulwich Hill 9804
Dulwich Village 11199
Dulwich Wood 10638
Faraday 12385
Goose Green 14083
London Bridge & West Bermondsey 17743
Newington 14328
North Bermondsey 18003
North Walworth 13717
Nunhead & Queen's Road 16524
Old Kent Road 18255
Peckham 14499
Peckham Rye 10586
Rotherhithe 18259
Rye Lane 15622
South Bermondsey 17072
St George's 7124
St Giles 15376
Surrey Docks 12846
Southwark Total 320017



Last updated: 20/02/2024, Additional Sources: Office for National Statistics & Department for Work & Pensions.

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