The Office for National Statistics said that there are 5,701 people per square kilometre on average in London.
That is 24 times more crowded than the least heavily populated rural area, the South West, and ten times greater than the North West region around Manchester.
But the level of crowding is even greater in some boroughs with Tower Hamlets and Islington recording the highest population density of any local authority in the country with more than 16,000 people per kilometre each.
London also accounts for all of the top 20 most densely populated local authorities in the country.
Todays figures also show that one in five of the capitals residents is a child under 16 – and the youngest overall age profile among its population – and will reinforce concerns about the impact of the Londons growing population on quality of life.
The London statistics were contained in national figures showing that overall population growth across the UK has slowed to its lowest level since 2004 with only 361,000 people added to the numbers living here over the past year.
That equates to a 0.5 per cent increase and means that the total UK population, as measured in mid-2019, now stands at 66,796,807.
There is no new figure for Londons population in todays statistics, although previous estimates have shown it to be heading towards 9 million.
The main reason for the latest national growth in population in todays figures is net migration from overseas.
It accounted for 231,000 of the latest increase in the population with the rest the result of the difference between births and deaths. Births, however, were at their lowest level since 2005.
Unveiling todays figures, Neil Park, from the Office for National Statistics, said: “The population grew at the slowest rate for 15 years between mid-2018 and mid-2019. This is due to the lowest number of births for 14 years alongside an increase in emigration and a fall in international immigration.
“The figures were publishing today highlight the variation in the population across the UK. For example, the population density in London is 24 times higher than that for the South West of England. Also, the proportion of people aged 65 or over ranges from over 30% in coastal areas such as North Norfolk to less than 8% in parts of central London like Tower Hamlets.”
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