# Downham

South east Lewisham. About 18,587 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 2.7 square kilometres.

Downham had 18,347 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021).

Ward. Code E05013720. In: [London](https://openindex.co.uk/london) › [Lewisham](https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham)

## Key figures

- **Population: 18,347** (2021). Downham had 18,347 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). 292nd most populated of 8,397. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/downham#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 10%** (2022). About 10% of people in Downham live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/downham#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 87.3%** (January 2026). In Downham, 87.3% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026 (Ofcom). UK 87.8%. Source: Connected Nations (Ofcom), January 2026. Published 13 May 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/downham#f-gigabit-coverage
- **Claimant rate: 7.1%** (August 2026). In Downham, 7.1% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026 (ONS via Nomis). UK 3.9%. Source: Claimant count (Nomis), August 2026. Published 15 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/downham#f-claimant-rate

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=E05013720) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 10% of people in Downham live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Average house price by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-prices?place=E05013720) (UK House Price Index · August 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Lewisham. The outline is Downham.
- [Crime and ASB by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime?place=E05013720) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Crime and anti-social behaviour for Downham.
- [Population by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=E05013720) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Downham had 18,347 usual residents at the census.

## How Downham compares

Each ward against every other ward the measure covers.

| Measure | Downham | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 18,347 | 4th most populated | 19 wards, Lewisham · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 10% | 10th most people in radon Affected Areas | 19 wards, Lewisham · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 87.3% | 7th lowest | 19 wards, Lewisham · Jan 2026 |
| Claimant rate | 7.1% | 6th highest | 19 wards, Lewisham · Aug 2026 |

## Is Downham safe? What police records show

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in Downham at a rate of 102.8 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 122.7 per 1,000 people across Lewisham.
Across England as a whole, the recorded crime rate was 96.3 per 1,000 people.
In August 2026 alone, 155 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in Downham.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were violence and sexual offences (709), anti-social behaviour (357) and other crime (268).
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.

## Figures for the whole of Lewisham

These figures are published for the whole of Lewisham, not for each ward, so they describe all of Lewisham and not Downham alone. [See Lewisham](https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham)

- **Average house price: £486,416** (August 2026). Lewisham’s average house price was £486,416 in August 2026 (HM Land Registry). Down 1.6% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Median full-time pay: £45,702** (2025). Full-time workers living in Lewisham earned a median of £45,702 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 43rd highest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025.
- **House price to pay: 10.6×** (2025). A home in Lewisham costs 10.6 times local full-time pay. 41st least affordable of 348. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UK House Price Index and the ONS earnings survey. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Deprivation score: 25.5** (2025). Lewisham has a deprivation score of 25.5 in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG). Joint 75th most deprived of 296. Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025, 2025. Published 30 October 2025.

## Downham in brief

Downham had 18,347 usual residents at the census.
About 10% of people in Downham live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In Downham, 87.3% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.
In Downham, 7.1% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.

## About

- Type: Ward
- Code: E05013720
- Constituency: [Lewisham East †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/lewisham-east)
- Council: [Lewisham](https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham)
- Region: [London](https://openindex.co.uk/london)
- Nation: [England](https://openindex.co.uk/england)
- Area: 2.67 km²
- People, mid-2024: 18,587*
- Neighbourhoods: 12
- Output areas: 57

* People: worked out by Open Index from neighbourhood estimates, shared out by where people lived at the census (by area in Northern Ireland). This area's edges do not follow neighbourhood edges, so the figure is close but not exact.
† Best fit: the constituency this ward mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow it.

## Next door

[Plaistow](https://openindex.co.uk/bromley/ward/plaistow), [Catford South](https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/catford-south), [Hither Green](https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/hither-green), [Grove Park](https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/grove-park), [Bellingham](https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/bellingham), [Shortlands & Park Langley](https://openindex.co.uk/bromley/ward/shortlands-and-park-langley)

## Latest updates for Downham

- August 2026 house prices published: HM Land Registry and partners · Oct 2026.
- September 2026 rent published: ONS private rents · Oct 2026.
- Dental practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026.

The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/E05013720

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/downham, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/downham#f-population.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/lewisham/ward/downham