JSNA – People – Children and Young People

Last Updated: January 2026

According to the 2021 Census, people aged 24 or under represent just over 30% of the total population living in Barnet. The Children and Young People Profile provides a demographic summary about the population of children and young people in Barnet. It also brings together information on topics such as education, health, and crime and how these topics impact children and young people. The Family Friendly Index is also presented on this profile to allow comparison to other measures. 

What’s new?

• Deprivation 2025 data
• Fuel poverty and low-income data for 2023/24
• Educational attainment data for 2023/24 and 2024/25
• Social care data for 2024 and 2025
• Vaccine coverage data for 2023/24
• Social, emotional, and mental health needs in 2024/25
• Chlamydia detection data for 2024

Headline Figures

• There are 119,027 people aged 0-24 years in Barnet according to the 2021 Census; this is an increase of 4.1% compared to the 2011 Census.
• 71.3% of children in Barnet are achieving a good level of development at the end of Reception as of 2023/24. This is a 6.4% increase compared to 2021/22.
• Overall, vaccination coverage is below the England average, though similar to the London average. An exception is coverage of MenACWY which in 2023/24 was just 51.4% in 14-15 years olds in Barnet compared to the average of 64.1% across London and 73% across England.
• The rate of children in need in Barnet is 211 per 10,000 in 2025 – this is lower than the London and England averages. 71.5% of care leavers are in education, employment, or training; this is a 20% increase compared to 2018.
• In 2024 in Barnet, the chlamydia detection rate was 1,048 per 100,000 in those aged 15-24 years old – this is below the London and England averages.

Narrative

Population: There are 58,415 females and 60,612 males aged 0-24 in Barnet. The highest numbers of children and young people are seen in Hendon, followed by Burnt Oak. Of Barnet’s population aged 0-24, 52% are White, 17% are Asian, 11% are of Other ethnicity, 10% are of Mixed ethnicity, and a further 10% are Black. 13% of those aged 0-24 in Barnet have English as their second language. Birth rates in Barnet have been decreasing, most recently 54 per 1000 in 2023; despite this decrease over time, they remain below both the London (48.2 per 1000) and England (49.4 per 1000) averages. Infant and child mortality in Barnet is similar to the regional and national average, with no significant change over time

Deprivation and Disparity: Deprivation varies within Barnet, and is generally highest in the south-west of the ward, according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025. 15 Barnet LSOAs rank in the most deprived 10% nationally for the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) 2025. 9.3% of households in Barnet are in fuel poverty as of 2023 – this varies at the ward-level from a high of 13.1% of households in Burnt Oak to 6.5% of households in Colindale South. The percentage of children in absolute and relative low-income families in Barnet (11.1% and 13.1% respectively in 2023/24) has been significantly increasing since 2021/22 though remains below both the London and England average. 22% of pupils in Barnet are known to be eligible for free school meals which is again below both the London and England average.

Crime: In 2024/25, 27,800 crimes were committed in Barnet – this was a decrease compared to the previous financial year. The most common crime was theft offences, and this particular crime category grew by 35.1% between 2023/24 and 2024/25. Other types of crime have decreased in prevalence, including violence against a person, robbery, and possession of a weapon.

Air pollution: Fine particulate matter has generally decreased in concentration over time in Barnet, most recently 8.1µg/m³ in 2023. Hospital admissions for asthma in those aged 0-18 years has not changed significantly over time in Barnet. In 2023/24, there were 82 admissions per 100,000 which was significantly below the London (165 per 100,000) and England (149 per 100,000) averages.

Education: 71.3% of children in Barnet are achieving a good level of development at the end of Reception in 2023/24 – this is significantly above the England average of 67.7%. Barnet also performs better than the national average in terms of NEET. In 2023/24 only 0.9% of 16-17 year olds in Barnet were not in education, employment or training – this percentage has been decreasing in Barnet since 2017/18 and is significantly below the London (3.4%) and England (5.4%) averages. In terms of attainment, 62.6% are achieving a grade 5 or above in English and Maths GCSE in Barnet, higher than both the London (52.5%) and England average (45.2%) in 2023/24.

Vaccines: For the majority of childhood vaccines, Barnet has a coverage rate similar to London but below the England average, and there have been decreases in coverage over time. The current MMR one dose coverage in 2-3 year-olds is 81.7% – this is down 11% compared to the peak coverage observed in 2011/12. For MMR dose two, the current coverage in those aged 5 years is 72.9% – this is 15% below the coverage observed in 2011/12. Similarly, coverage of the flu vaccine in those aged 2-3 years old in 2023/24 decreased by approximately 13% compared to its peak in 2020/21.

Injuries: In those aged 0-24, Barnet has a similar hospital admissions due to injuries rate to London, and a rate significantly below the England average. Rates are higher in males than females. In terms of A&E attendance in those aged 0-4 years, Barnet has a rate of 81.7 per 100,000. This is significantly below both the London (108.7 per 100,000) and England (151.4 per 100,000) averages.

Social care: In Barnet, the rate of children in need is 211 per 10,000 in 2025 – this is a decline from the 2024 rate (247 per 10,000) and still remains below both the London (359 per 10,000) and England average (330 per 10,000). The rate of children looked after has remained stable across time, and is currently 37 per 10,000 in 2025. There was a 49% increase in the rate of children protection plans per 10,000 in Barnet between 2021 and 2023, though this was followed by decreases in 2024 and 2025. Across Barnet, 97.5% of care leavers are in suitable accommodation and 61.5% are in education, employment, or training – both of these figures are above the regional and national average.

Behavioural Risk Factors: the rate of hospital admissions for substance misuse in those aged 15-24 years was 25 per 100,000 in 2021/22-2023/24 in Barnet. This represents a significant decrease compared to the peak rate of 64 per 100,000 observed in 2014/15-2016/17, and is also significantly below the current London and England average. Smoking prevalence at age 15 varies across the borough, highest in Garden Suburb and lowest in Burnt Oak upon the last survey conducted.

Healthy Weight: In Barnet in 2024/25, 1.1% Reception children and 1.9% Year 6 children were underweight, which is similar to the England average. In the same year, 18.5% of Reception children and 33.7% of Year 6 children were overweight or obese and this prevalence varies at the ward level. For more information, please see the NCMP dashboard.

Oral Health: 29.2% of 5 years old in Barnet have experienced visually obvious dental decay in 2023/24. Furthermore, the rate of hospital admissions for dental caries in those aged 0-5 years in 2021/22-2023/24 was 258 per 100,000, with 57% of patients admitted being male. Both of these indicators of oral health are similar to the London average yet above the England average.

Mental Health: 3.6% of pupils in Barnet have social, emotional, or mental health needs in 2024/25 – this is below the national average of 4.0%. Mental health hospital admissions are currently lower in males (42 per 100,000) than females (123 per 100,000) in Barnet. Self-harm admissions are also higher in females (298 per 100,000) than males (55 per 100,000), though both are below the England average.

Sexual Health: The coverage of HPV dose one in girls aged 12-13 years old was 60.9% in 2023/24 – this is similar to the London but below the England average. Coverage of this vaccine still hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels (79.6% in 2018/19). Conceptions in women under 16 has overall declined in Barnet since 2009 and in 2022 was at 0.9 per 1,000 which is below both the England average. In 2024 in Barnet, the chlamydia detection rate was 1,048 per 100,000 in those aged 15-24 years old – this is significantly below both the London (1,457 per 100,000) and England average (1,250 per 100,000). Higher chlamydia detection rates reflect improved control of chlamydia in the population.

Further information

• Barnet Children and Young People Plan: this plan captures the priorities, needs and aspirations of the local population and sets out how, together, we can make Barnet an enjoyable place for children and families to live. 
• OHID Child and Maternal Health Profile: this offers a range of publicly available data on child and maternal health, with indicators split by life-course stage (pregnancy and birth, early years, school-age, young people) and by theme (breastfeeding, healthcare use, long-term conditions, mortality, oral health, unintentional injuries, vaccinations, vulnerable children and young people).

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