The 2011 census showed that 36.7 per cent of Greater London's population were born outside the UK. The table to the right shows the 30 most common countries of birth of London residents in 2011, the date of the last published UK Census. A portion of the German-born population are likely to be British nationals born to parents serving in the British Armed Forces in Germany. Estimates produced by the Office for National Statistics indicate that the five largest foreign-born groups living in London in the period July 2009 to June 2010 were those born in India, Poland, the Republic of Ireland, Bangladesh and Nigeria.

What percentage of the Greater London population was said to be foreign-born according to the 2011 census?