Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8EL

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding WC2H 8EL has a slightly higher male population, with 53% of residents being male. Several factors can contribute to this, including areas with industries or sectors that predominantly employ men, proximity to universities or technical schools with a higher enrollment of male students, presence of all-male or predominantly male institutions (military academies, boarding schools).

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	46.7%	47%	0.3%	51.0%	-4.0%
Male	53.3%	53%	-0.3%	49.0%	4.0%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

In the immediate area around WC2H 8EL, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 65.9% of the residents. On average, approximately 38% of individuals who responded to the census in the UK were single. Areas with higher single populations are typically urban centers, university towns, regions with dynamic job markets, rich cultural offerings and entertainment facilities. These regions also tend to have a younger demographic.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	67.9%	65.9%	-2.0%	37.9%	28.0%
Married: Opposite sex	16.6%	16.6%	0.0%	44.2%	-27.6%
Married: Same sex	2.1%	3.4%	1.3%	0.3%	3.1%
Civil partnership: Same sex	0%	1.4%	1.4%	0.1%	1.3%
Separated	1.6%	2.7%	1.1%	2.2%	0.5%
Divorced	8.3%	8.8%	0.5%	9.1%	-0.3%
Widowed	3.6%	1.4%	-2.2%	6.1%	-4.7%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

This area has a high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (86.5%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either a younger population or more affluent area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	59.4%	56.3%	-3.1%	48.4%	7.9%
Good health	28.4%	30.2%	1.8%	33.6%	-3.4%
Fair health	7.6%	9.9%	2.3%	12.7%	-2.8%
Bad health	4.6%	2.4%	-2.2%	4.0%	-1.6%
Very bad health	0%	1.2%	1.2%	1.2%	0.0%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

In the area around WC2H 8EL this area, 6.8% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 18.2%. This area stands out for its high percentage of residents with higher education degree or similar. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 57.6%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	6.7%	6.8%	0.1%	18.2%	-11.4%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	5.7%	4.1%	-1.6%	9.6%	-5.5%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	3.6%	11.5%	7.9%	13.4%	-1.9%
Apprenticeship	0%	1.4%	1.4%	5.3%	-3.9%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	16.1%	16.3%	0.2%	16.9%	-0.6%
Degree or Similar	56.5%	57.6%	1.1%	33.8%	23.8%
Other	11.4%	2.4%	-9.0%	2.8%	-0.4%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 54.3% of the residents identify as white, which is lower than the UK average of 81.4%, there are significant representations of other ethnic groups.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	0%	6.9%	6.9%	1.1%	5.8%
Chinese	10.2%	7.2%	-3.0%	0.7%	6.5%
Indian	4.1%	2.7%	-1.4%	3.1%	-0.4%
Pakistani	0%	0.9%	0.9%	2.7%	-1.8%
Other Asian	4.1%	4.2%	0.1%	1.6%	2.6%
Black African	0.5%	4.2%	3.7%	2.5%	1.7%
Black Caribbean	0.5%	2.4%	1.9%	1.0%	1.4%
Mixed White and Asian	0%	2.4%	2.4%	0.8%	1.6%
Mixed White and African	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.4%	-0.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.9%	-0.6%
Mixed Other	0%	5.1%	5.1%	0.8%	4.3%
White	78.2%	54.3%	-23.9%	81.4%	-27.1%
Roma	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Arab	1.5%	3%	1.5%	0.6%	2.4%
Other	1%	6%	5.0%	1.6%	4.4%

Country of Birth

In this area, just 48.6% of residents were born in the United Kingdom, meaning that the majority of residents originate from outside the UK.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	43.1%	48.6%	5.5%	83.2%	-34.6%
European Union	21.3%	16.6%	-4.7%	6.1%	10.5%
Rest of Europe	3%	2.1%	-0.9%	0.8%	1.3%
Africa	3%	3.9%	0.9%	2.7%	1.2%
Middle East and Asia	16.2%	15.1%	-1.1%	5.6%	9.5%
The Americas and the Caribbean	8.6%	11.8%	3.2%	1.3%	10.5%
Oceania	4.6%	1.8%	-2.8%	0.3%	1.5%

Length of Residence

In this area majority of residents originate from outside the UK. Only 48.6% of residents were born in the United Kingdom. 23.6% of residents have lived in the UK for 10 years or more.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	42.6%	48.1%	5.5%	83.2%	-35.1%
10+ Years	21.8%	23.6%	1.8%	9.8%	13.8%
5-10 Years	12.2%	3.9%	-8.3%	2.9%	1.0%
2-5 Years	9.1%	6.9%	-2.2%	2.2%	4.7%
Less than 2 years	14.2%	17.6%	3.4%	1.9%	15.7%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	65.2%	76.7%	-11.5%
Ireland	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
France	2.7%	0.3%	2.4%
Germany	2.1%	0.2%	1.9%
Italy	4.5%	0.6%	3.9%
Portugal	0.6%	0.5%	0.1%
Spain	1.2%	0.4%	0.8%
Romania	0.3%	0.9%	-0.6%
Other EU countries	5.1%	1.5%	3.6%
Turkey	0.6%	0.1%	0.5%
Other Europe	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
North Africa	0.3%	0.1%	0.2%
South and Eastern Africa	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Middle East	0.6%	0.1%	0.5%
Eastern Asia	2.7%	0.3%	2.4%
Southern Asia	0.3%	1.2%	-0.9%
South-East Asia	3%	0.2%	2.8%
North America and the Caribbean	3.6%	0.3%	3.3%
Central and South America	3.9%	0.2%	3.7%
Oceania	1.2%	0.1%	1.1%
No passport held	1.2%	13.5%	-12.3%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	38.7%	37.2%	1.5%
Christian	31.8%	46.2%	-14.4%
Buddhist	1.2%	0.5%	0.7%
Hindu	1.5%	1.7%	-0.2%
Jewish	1.8%	0.5%	1.3%
Muslim	17.3%	6.5%	10.8%
Not answered	7.7%	6.0%	1.7%

Safety

Is Shaftesbury Avenue Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Shaftesbury Avenue was 3939.7 per 1,000 residents, which is 440.1% higher than the Bloomsbury average. The most reported crime type was Theft from the person.

Shaftesbury Avenue has the highest crime rate of 76 local areas in Bloomsbury and the 2nd highest crime rate of 567 local areas in Camden . It is also in the top 100 most dangerous local areas in England and Wales.

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 428.2 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 178.1%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 80% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£55,000

Income Rank
8/10

Household Income in WC2H 8EL, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 7/10 (above average )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 6/10 (average )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 6/10 (average )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 9/10 (very high )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 7/10 (above average )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 10/10 (very high )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 7/10 (above average )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 9/10 (very high )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Average property prices on Shaftesbury Avenue are based on 122 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Camden.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8EL

Estimated Average Property Prices for WC2H 8EL

Average Price
£1,072,406

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£1,072,406

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Shaftesbury Avenue

Average Price
£2,964,286

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
£2,809,878

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£1,055,677

Other
£11,027,062

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Shaftesbury AvenueStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
Flat 5 Exide House, 231 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, Greater London Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£967,000	2025-07-10	£894,920
Flat 2 Exide House, 231 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, Greater London Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£1,045,000	2024-02-29	£1,039,563
Flat 5 Exide House, 231 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, Greater London Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£1,010,000	2021-06-25	£1,011,058
Flat 3 Exide House, 231 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, Greater London Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£900,000	2017-02-14	£889,762
Flat 6 Exide House, 231 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, Greater London Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£1,399,500	2014-01-09	£1,647,687

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for WC2H 8EL

Employment

WC2H 8EL area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 3% residents of this area were unemployed, while the average in the UK was 4.83%. A low level of unemployment in an area indicates a strong job market, where most people who are seeking work can find employment. This generally reflects a healthy economy in the area.

The percentage of student residents living in WC2H 8EL area is much higher than the country's average. Usually places with high percentage of students are near Universities and near entertainment places.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	104
Student (economically inactive)	68
Self-Employed	32
Part-Time Employee	24
Retired	16
Long-Term Sick or disabled	15
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	13
Unemployed	9
Looking after home or family	8
Other	7

Employment Industry

Other	23
Professional, scientific and technical activities	22
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	17
Accommodation and food service activities	14
Financial and insurance activities	14
Education	10
Information and communication	10
Construction	4
Human health and social work activities	4
Administrative and support service activities	3
Manufacturing	2
Transport and storage	2
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	1
Mining and quarrying	1
Real estate activities	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Thomas Coram Centre 49 Mecklenburgh Square , WC1N 2NY	4out of 4	1,208 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children's Centre Yorkway Court , Copenhagen Street N1 0UH	4out of 4	2,451 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Portman Early Childhood Centre 12 Salisbury Street , NW8 8DE	4out of 4	3,129 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre 1 Gundulf Street , SE11 6BG	4out of 4	3,375 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Tachbrook Nursery School Aylesford Street , SW1V 3RT	3out of 4	3,662 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
St Josephs Catholic Primary School Macklin Street , Covent Garden WC2B 5NA	3out of 4	490 yd	Voluntary aided school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Soho Parish CofE Primary School 23 Great Windmill Street , W1D 7LF	3out of 4	758 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
St Clement Danes CofE Primary School 118 Drury Lane , Covent Garden WC2B 5SU	4out of 4	790 yd	Voluntary aided school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
All Souls CofE Primary School Foley Street , W1W 7JJ	3out of 4	869 yd	Voluntary aided school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
St George the Martyr Church of England Primary School John's Mews , WC1N 2NX	4out of 4	1,121 yd	Voluntary aided school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Maria Fidelis Catholic School FCJ 1 - 39 Drummond Crescent , NW1 1LY	3out of 4	1,632 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
The St Marylebone CofE School 64 Marylebone High Street , W1U 5BA	4out of 4	1,923 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Girls	More About School
London Nautical School 61 Stamford Street , Waterloo SE1 9NA	2out of 4	1,961 yd	Foundation school	No	Boys	More About School
Regent High School Chalton Street , Camden NW1 1RX	3out of 4	2,168 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School Donegal Street , Islington N1 9QG	4out of 4	2,301 yd	Community school	No	Girls	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
City Lit Keeley Street , Covent Garden WC2B 4BA	- not rated	656 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The Mary Ward Centre (AE Centre) 42 - 43 Queen Square , Camden WC1N 3AQ	- not rated	705 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Capital City College Group 211 Gray's Inn Road , WC1X 8RA	- not rated	1,432 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Harris Westminster Sixth Form Steel House, 11 Tothill Street , Westminster SW1H 9LH	- not rated	2,095 yd	Free schools 16 to 19	No	Mixed	More About School
WM College 44 Crowndale Road , Mill Hill Road NW1 1TR	- not rated	2,326 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

All-through

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Ark King Solomon Academy Penfold Street , NW1 6RU	4out of 4	3,146 yd	Academy sponsor led	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Ark Globe Academy Harper Road , SE1 6AG	3out of 4	3,821 yd	Academy sponsor led	Yes	Mixed	More About School
St Mary Magdalene Academy Liverpool Road , Islington N7 8PG	3out of 4	3,976 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Ecole Jeannine Manuel 43-45 Bedford Square , Bloomsbury WC1B 3DN	- not rated	227 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Fashion Retail Academy 15 Gresse Street , W1T 1QL	- not rated	389 yd	Miscellaneous	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
CATS College London 43-45 Bloomsbury Square & 2 Southampton Place , WC1A 2RA	- not rated	469 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
University of London Senate House , Malet Street WC1E 7HU	- not rated	523 yd	Higher education institutions	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Keppel Street , WC1E 7HT	- not rated	543 yd	Higher education institutions	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Burson-Marstellar	Offices And Premises At 6th Floor South, 1 St Giles High Street	46 yd
Ippudo London Co Ltd	Unit 3, 1 St Giles High Street	46 yd
Shaftesbury Theatre	210 Shaftesbury Avenue	47 yd
Shaftesbury Theatre	The Shaftesbury Theatre, 210 Shaftesbury Avenue	47 yd
NBC Universal	Central St Giles, St Giles High Street	50 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Flight Club Darts LTD	Albion House, 55-59 New Oxford Street	65 yd
The London Cocktail Club	224a Shaftesbury Avenue	72 yd
The Crown PH	51 New Oxford Street	84 yd
Bloomsbury Tavern	236 Shaftesbury Avenue	106 yd
The Craft Beer Co ( Covent Garden ) Ltd	168 High Holborn	118 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
H.I.S. EUROPE LTD	212 Shaftesbury Avenue	50 yd
THAI CUP	214 Shaftesbury Avenue	51 yd
BEIRUT GARDEN	218-220 Shaftesbury Avenue	62 yd
TASTEA	237 Shaftesbury Avenue	76 yd
Ben’s Traditional Fish and Chips	200 Shaftesbury Avenue	92 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
TESCO	Tesco Express, Endell Street	278 yd
Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd	Unit 8, 6-17 Tottenham Court Road	400 yd
Sainsbury's	129-133 Kingsway	471 yd
Sainsbury's Local	Victoria House, 37-63 Southampton Row	503 yd
Tesco	GROUND FLOOR, 2-4 DEAN STREET	517 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Oasis Sports Centre ENDELL STREET	health and fitness suite, squash courts, swimming pool	85 yd
Central Ymca Club GREAT RUSSELL STREET	health and fitness suite, squash courts, swimming pool	310 yd
Pure Gym (London Covent Garden) MACKLIN STREET	health and fitness suite	320 yd
Nuffield Health (Covent Garden) ODHAMS WALK	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	327 yd
Another_Space (Covent Garden) 4-10 4-10 TOWER STREET		367 yd
Royal Ballet School (Covent Garden) FLORAL STREET		450 yd
Sanctuary Spa (Ladies Only) (Closed) Floral Street	swimming pool	520 yd
Jubilee Hall (Covent Garden) THE PIAZZA	health and fitness suite	572 yd
Grange Holborn Health & Fitness Club 50-56 50-56 SOUTHAMPTON ROW	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	573 yd
Fitness First Health Club (London High Holborn) WESTON HOUSE WESTON HOUSE HIGH HOLBORN	health and fitness suite	616 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	0.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	0.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	0.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	0.0%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	100.0%

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.