Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02000815

Elephant & Castle

Elephant & Castle is a Census neighbourhood of about 7,613 residents in Southwark. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

Area evidence brief for Southwark
7,613

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

3,233

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

18,072.2

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

16.8%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

76.8%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

59.2%

Adults with a degree or above

ONS Census 2021 · qualifications

Neighbourhoods most like this one

Closest matches elsewhere in England and Wales, across 14 Census themes. Similarity is statistical, not a recommendation, and says nothing about how anywhere feels to live in.

Lambeth North, Waterloo & South Bank, Lambeth8,567 residents · 20.7% owned · 73.2% no carVauxhall South, Lambeth12,520 residents · 24.5% owned · 72.8% no carHoxton South & East, Hackney7,332 residents · 17.2% owned · 78.6% no carCubitt Town, Tower Hamlets7,565 residents · 22.8% owned · 68.4% no carLower Holloway, Islington12,420 residents · 23.9% owned · 72.6% no carKennington West & Vauxhall North, Lambeth9,846 residents · 24.2% owned · 68.0% no car

Most similar within Southwark

The closest matches in the same local authority.

Borough & Southwark Street, Southwark10,168 residents · 21.3% owned · 75.4% no carSouthwark St George's, Southwark9,276 residents · 22.2% owned · 73.3% no carCanada Water, Southwark10,223 residents · 18.3% owned · 67.1% no carWalworth North, Southwark9,791 residents · 21.9% owned · 73.0% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Elephant & Castle

People, households and homes at the stated Census geography. These describe the 2021 population, not the occupants of a particular home.

Tenure

Private rented47.6%
1,540 households
Social rented32.5%
1,050 households
Owned16.8%
544 households
Shared ownership2.8%
90 households
Lives rent free0.3%
9 households
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement86.4%
2,792 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits5.6%
181 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse3.6%
115 households
Terraced2.6%
84 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop0.9%
29 households
Semi-detached0.7%
22 households
Detached0.2%
7 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0.1%
2 households
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

No cars or vans in household76.8%
2,482 households
1 car or van in household20.4%
659 households
2 cars or vans in household2.5%
80 households
3 or more cars or vans in household0.4%
12 households
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

2 bedrooms49.3%
1,593 households
1 bedroom29%
937 households
3 bedrooms16.1%
521 households
4 or more bedrooms5.6%
182 households
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household42.2%
1,364 households
One-person household33.7%
1,089 households
Other household types24.1%
779 households
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

2 people in household38%
1,229 households
1 person in household33.7%
1,089 households
3 people in household14.5%
470 households
4 people in household8.4%
270 households
5 people in household3.4%
109 households
6 people in household1.3%
42 households
7 people in household0.4%
14 households
8 or more people in household0.3%
10 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1511.1%
842 residents
15–2943.2%
3,290 residents
30–4425.2%
1,922 residents
45–6416%
1,221 residents
65 and over4.4%
338 residents
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White46.4%
3,527 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh21%
1,595 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African18.8%
1,433 residents
Other ethnic group7.5%
572 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups6.3%
482 residents
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above59.2%
3,972 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications17.4%
1,168 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications9.3%
621 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications5.5%
368 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications4.6%
306 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications2.3%
153 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship1.8%
120 residents aged 16 and over
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)62.6%
4,196 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive31.3%
2,100 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student6.1%
407 residents aged 16 and over
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L15 Full-time students24.2%
1,625 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations23.2%
1,555 residents aged 16 and over
L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations18.5%
1,240 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations7.4%
498 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed6.3%
424 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations6.2%
416 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations6%
404 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers5.7%
384 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations2.4%
160 residents aged 16 and over
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health59.2%
4,507 residents
Good health30.1%
2,294 residents
Fair health7.6%
581 residents
Bad health2.3%
176 residents
Very bad health0.7%
55 residents
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act88.8%
6,760 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act11.2%
854 residents
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension53.5%
1,731 households
Household is deprived in one dimension31.5%
1,020 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions11.3%
365 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions3.4%
111 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.2%
6 households
Elephant & Castle · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Each percentage uses its Census table’s own total. Rounding and source categories can affect totals. ONS Census data · OGL v3.0.

How the similarity is worked out

Alike on the Census, which is not the same as alike to live in.

Every neighbourhood is described by its shares across the Census themes above — tenure, housing, cars, household make-up, age, ethnic group, qualifications, work, health and deprivation — each theme weighted equally, which is the approach ONS takes in its own Output Area Classification. The neighbourhoods listed are the closest on those numbers, published in full rather than folded into a score. Nothing here measures schools, crime, prices or what a place is like to be in, and a close match is a statistical fact rather than a suggestion to move.

Browse every neighbourhood in Southwark

Evidence ledger

Source and date are part of the record.

Shared catalogue checked 2026-08-28: 88 candidate data layers listed. Catalogue presence is not publication approval; only separately approved public projections may be shown.