Shaped by London
The UK's largest and most diverse health community
Over eight million people live in London, and nearly half a million people study or work in London's higher education institutions. This includes people from over 200 countries in higher education alone, meaning no city is like London for its scale and diversity.
London's HEIs not only train over 60,000 future health professionals each year, but they are also responsible for supporting the health needs - including mental health - of their students and staff. The statistics below serve to highlight how the complexity and scale of London shapes this responsibility, but also presents enormous opportunity.
London's Student Population
London's student population is larger than the entire population of Brighton, and includes about one in every four future health professionals.
377,000 students
at higher educational institutions (HEIs) in London
1 in 6
students in the UK are in London
45,000 students
study courses allied to health in London, about a quarter of the national total
19,000 students
study medicine and dentistry, representing just under a third of the national total
London's Higher Education Infrastructure
London's higher education institutions include 4 of the top 50 universities in the world, as well as two of the world's top ten nursing and medical programmes.
40+ HEIs in London
including the 18 members of the University of London
1785
The year that England’s first purpose-built medical school opened in London
5 HEIs
offer medicine and dentistry in London
15 HEIs
in London offer allied health, nursing or midwifery degrees
Research in London
With institutions like the Wellcome Trust and the Frances Crick Institute headquartered in London, it's no surprise that the Capital's HEIs attract more research funding than any other region in the UK.
£538million
in recurrent grants awarded by Research England to HEIs in London last year
£130million
awarded last year by the Medical Research Council to research organisations in London
3 of 7
of England’s Academic Health Science Centres are in London
https://www.mrc.ac.uk/research/funded-research/success-rates/#ro (accessed 14 August 2018).
London's Health Workforce
London employs more doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals than any other place in the UK, meaning that in some instances, employment after graduation is guaranteed.
68
NHS Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups in London
25,694
Doctors in the NHS in London
60,638
Nurses and midwives in London
28,912
allied health professionals in the NHS in London
Want to learn more about London and the people who study here?
Visit London Higher to find out more on who studies in London, where they go after graduation, how they interact with business and more.
KEY FACTS AND FIGURES