During the pandemic, numerous articles were written about how city-dwellers were reassessing how and where they wanted to live. Ties to the office were perceived to be weakening, access to space was now more valuable, and maybe these changes would be permanent.

This briefing reviews the evidence. Was there a pandemic-induced escape to the country, and, if so, has there been a permanent shift away from the city?

Key findings:

• London’s population fell during Covid by 75,000, the equivalent of the population of Tunbridge Wells.
• This change was driven by an increase in the number of people moving from London to the rest of England and Wales. People continued to arrive in the Capital from the rest of the country.
• But population bounced back quickly after pandemic restrictions ended and is now almost certainly higher than it has ever been.

Read the briefing in full to find out:

• How London compares to other UK cities.
• Where in England and Wales people were moving to.
• Which parts of London saw the biggest changes.
• What data on average private rents can tell us about London’s population bounce back.