Gospel Oak ward profile

A summary of Gospel Oak ward in the East neighbourhood of Camden

Author

Profile

Published

July 6, 2025

Abstract
The population of Camden is among the most diverse in London and health outcomes vary significantly across its different neighbourhoods. Understanding the impact of environment on resident health is crucial for informed decision-making and the development of interventions. This area profile focuses on the ward of Gospel Oak.

Introduction

This is a summary profile of Gospel Oak ward in the East neighbourhood of Camden. It includes data on the neighbourhood’s demography, levels of deprivation, and key health indicators such as life expectancy and prevalence of long-term conditions.

Demography

Population

The London Borough of Camden has approximately 219,900 residents according to the latest population projections. Of this total, 11,700 reside in Gospel Oak, making it the ward with the eleventh most number of residents. There are 6,400 female residents and 5,300 male residents in Gospel Oak.

The 2021 Census reported a population in Camden of 220,000. This is substantially lower than expected based on previous projection of 280,000 from the 2011 Census.

Factors such as temporary relocation during the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the discrepancy, with some evidence this is now reversing.[1] Camden Council’s position is that the 2021 Census likely underestimates the population but that 2011 Census projections may overestimate. Census 2021 population projections are expected in May 2025. Despite the limitations, these will likely be the most appropriate source for population data.

When interpreting or producing statistics using the Camden population it is important to be clear which population estimate has been used (source and year) as these can produce very different metrics even when the numerators (i.e. observations of interest) are similar.

[1]
Population change in london during the pandemic - london datastore n.d.

Age

Children and young people (0-24 years old) make up 27.28% of the population of Gospel Oak which is less than Camden overall (30.85%). Additionally, the percentage of older adults aged 65+ years is 13.77% compared to 12.02%.

Ethnicity

The following data uses the Office of National Statistics (ONS) ethnicity classifications. When looking at the broader ethnicities (e.g. ‘Asian’ instead of ‘Asian: Indian’), the most frequently reported ethnicity in Gospel Oak is White (62.18%), which is higher than Camden (59.52%). Additionally, this ward exhibits higher proportions of residents identifying as Black.

Looking at the specific subgroups of ethnicity, Gospel Oak shows higher proportions of residents identifying as Bangladeshi, African, Any other ethnic group, Irish, Caribbean, White and Black Caribbean, Other Black, and Gypsy or Irish Traveller compared to the borough.

Wider Determinants of Health

Index of Multiple Deprivation

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is a measure used to assess relative deprivation at a small local area level (LSOA). It combines data across seven domains - income, employment, health, education, crime, housing, and living environment to produce an overall deprivation score. For a summary of deprivation and poverty in Camden, please read the JSNA article around the topic.

In addition to the IMD and seven domain indices, there are two supplementary indices, created as subsets from the Income Deprivation domain - the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) and the Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI).

Gospel Oak ward has IMD deciles ranging from decile 2 to decile 8. Note that the least deprived decile is decile 10.

Gospel Oak ward has IDACI (Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index) deciles ranging from decile 1 to decile 7. Note that the least deprived decile is decile 10.

Gospel Oak ward has IDAOPI (Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index) deciles ranging from decile 1 to decile 6. Note that the least deprived decile is decile 10.

Environment

The place in which we live plays a key role in our health and wellbeing and is an important factor in the wider determinants of health. Access to green spaces and air quality indicators are presented below.

Most Lower Super Output Areas (LSOA) in Gospel Oak sit within Quintile 4 for access to green spaces and within Quintile 4 for air quality.

Access to green spaces is defined as the amount of green space within 900 meters of the centroid of the LSOA. This data is derived from analysis of the Ordnance Survey (OS) which records access to private gardens, public parks and playing fields at the LSOA level.

Air quality data comes from the Index of Multiple Deprivation and is based on an estimate of the concentration of the four pollutants nitrogen dioxide, benzene, sulphur dioxide and particulates.

Both indicators were quantified and ranked at the LSOA level, then divided into five equal quintiles. Quintile 5 represents the best 20% of LSOAs, while Quintile 1 reflects the worst 20% LSOAs.

Behavioural risk factors and long-term conditions

Behavioural risk factors

The most prevalent behavioural risk factor in Gospel Oak is Obesity (18.05%). Gospel Oak has a statistically significant higher prevalence of Alcohol Abuse or Dependence, Smoking and Obesity compared to the rest of the borough.

Long-term conditions

The most prevalent long-term conditions in Gospel Oak are Depression (13.83%), Hypertension (12.22%), Asthma (5.1%), and Diabetes (4.65%). Gospel Oak has statistically significant higher prevalence of Asthma, Atrial Fibrillation, Cancer, Chronic Kidney Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Dementia, Depression, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Heart Failure, Hypertension, Palliative Care, Serious Mental Illness, and Stroke and TIA compared to the rest of the borough.

Mental health

In addition to reporting the prevalence of depression and serious mental illness (SMI), the NIHR Small Area Mental Health Index (SAMHI) can be used to examine geographical variation in mental health-related indicators at the LSOA level within the area.

Gospel Oak ward has SAMHI deciles ranging from decile 1 to decile 7. Note that the best decile is decile 10.

The SAMHI score is a composite of data on mental health from multiple sources (NHS-Mental health related hospital attendances, Prescribing data – Antidepressants, QOF - depression, and DWP - claimants of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for mental health reasons and learning difficulties) into a single index. More information about the indicators and methodology used can be found in the NIHR’s specification report.

Note that as this measure is calculated on a national level, the variation within Camden wards may not be captured well. Because of this, deciles were recalculated on a London level using Public Health England’s method for assigning deprivation categories to smaller geographies.

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