Demographics
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1801 | 1,937 | — |
| 1811 | 2,647 | +36.7% |
| 1821 | 3,110 | +17.5% |
| 1831 | 3,746 | +20.5% |
| 1841 | 4,151 | +10.8% |
| 1851 | 4,804 | +15.7% |
| 1861 | 5,983 | +24.5% |
| 1871 | 7,162 | +19.7% |
| 1881 | 8,341 | +16.5% |
| 1891 | 16,658 | +99.7% |
| 1901 | 25,080 | +50.6% |
| 1911 | 37,759 | +50.6% |
| 1921 | 67,708 | +79.3% |
| 1931 | 121,410 | +79.3% |
| 1941 | 143,122 | +17.9% |
| 1951 | 168,724 | +17.9% |
| 1961 | 164,639 | −2.4% |
| 1971 | 160,656 | −2.4% |
| 1981 | 148,973 | −7.3% |
| 1991 | 146,154 | −1.9% |
| 2001 | 163,944 | +12.2% |
| Source: A Vision of Britain through time | ||
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking. This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by train deliveries of fresh fish from the East Coast ports. The population rose slowly through the 19th century, as the district became built up; and new industries developed around Barking.
The population rose dramatically between 1921 and 1931, when the London County Council developed the Becontree Estate. This public housing development of 27,000 homes housed over 100,000 people, split between the then urban district councils of Ilford, Dagenham and Barking. People were rehoused from the slums of the East End. In 1931, the Ford Motor Company relocated to a 500 acres (2.0 km2) site at Dagenham, and in 1932 the District Line was extended to Upminster; bringing further development to the area.
After World War II, further public housing projects were built to rehouse the many Londoners made homeless in the Blitz. As industry declined during the 1960s, the population entered a long decline, but has now begun to rise again with new housing developments on brownfield sites.
According to the Census of 2001 Barking and Dagenham had a population of 165,500, 48.2% of which were male, and 51.8% female. Of these, 85.4% described themselves as white; 10.5% black; 7.2% Asian; 2.4% of mixed race and 1.7% Chinese.
88.98% of these were born in England, 1.53% elsewhere in the UK, 1.35% in the Republic of Ireland, 0.83% in the EU, and 9.31% elsewhere.
Read more about this topic: London Borough Of Barking And Dagenham