NEARLY forty per cent of Londoners were born outside of the UK, according to new census figures released today, up from just over a quarter a decade ago.

Unsurprisingly, those figures mean London is easily the most international of the UK’s areas. The national average is 13.4%.

The new figures, recorded in the 2011 census, show that 36.7% of Londoners were born abroad, compared to 27.1% in the previous census in 2001.

That leap forward takes London above New York (36%) in the foreign-born inhabitants stakes, but London is still outside the world top ten. Dubai is top with 82%.

In terms of ethnicity, the proportion of those describing themselves as white-British on the census form has dropped from 58% in 2001 to 45% in 2011. Add in other white categories and the white-Londoner proportion reaches 59.8%.

Other capital highlights of the census report include a look at housing in London, where it is revealed that home ownership has fallen by 12% over the decade, while rentals are up 60%. In inner London boroughs, there are now more households paying rent – 29.2% – than paying down a mortgage or who own their home outright – 19.4%.

Find all the census info at the official site