London's population fell by almost 27,000 last year as residents abandoned the capital to move to other parts of the UK. But a flood of domestic migration caused the capital's overall population to fall. London's population fell even as every other region of England experienced a rise, though the number of people in Wales dropped for the first time since 2015. London's unemployment rate of 6.5pc is the highest of any part of the UK, and compares with a national average of 4.9pc. Police data indicate total crime fell by 3pc in the capital last year, with drops in homicides and thefts.