Dozens of modern witches, pagans and satanists are living in south east London right now.

As Halloween looms, a look at the most recent census figures shows there are a surprising number of folks who identify as witches, pagans, and even Satanists across England and Wales.

Across England and Wales, over 12,800 people opted for Wicca as their religion – a slight jump from 11,800 in 2011.

The religion developed in England during the first half of the 20th century with its name deriving from the Old English 'wicca' and 'wicce', the masculine and feminine term for witch.

While the witch population has not soared, there has been a 30 per cent rise in pagans - from 56,600 people in 2011 to over 73,700 two years ago.

Halloween, which has roots in paganism, originated from the Celtic celebration of Samhain that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the winter.

Celts believed the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred on this night.

To celebrate Halloween, people would light bonfires, throw parades and costume as saints, angels and devils.

Speaking of the devil, Satanism is also on the rise across the nations.

Nearly 5,100 people identified as Satanists in the recent census – more than doubling from 1,900 a decade prior.

Despite the name, not all Satanists believe in a literal Lucifer.

Instead, it is often a metaphor for questioning authority and rejecting mainstream religion.

Below is the number of witches, pagans and Satanists in each south east London borough.

Bexley

  • 39 people follow Wicca as their religion
  • Two people selected Witchcraft as their religion
  • 170 people said they were pagan
  • 13 people said they were Satanists

Bromley

  • 41 people selected Wicca as their religion
  • One person selected Witchcraft as their religion
  • 209 people said they were pagan
  • 27 people said they were Satanists

Greenwich

  • 40 people selected Wicca as their religion
  • Two people selected Witchcraft as their religion
  • 196 people said they were pagan
  • 22 people said they were Satanists

Lewisham

  • 57 people selected Wicca as their religion
  • 13 people selected Witchcraft as their religion
  • 254 people said they were pagan
  • 25 people said they were Satanists