Southwark: local statistics
Southwark is a London borough in London, home to an estimated 312,366 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 10 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over Southwark, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
The police recorded 121.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Southwark in the year to March 2026 (38,013 offences in all), the 6th highest rate of 33 in London. That compares with 124.9 per 1,000 the year before. Across the 11 years shown it ranged from 98.1 to 124.9 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
Average Band D council tax in Southwark is £1,967.26 for 2026-27, 4.8% more than in 2025-26. That makes it the 26th highest of all 33 council areas in London. In 2016-17 the figure was £1,206.38, so it has risen 63%.
In 2022 to 2024, women in Southwark had a life expectancy at birth of 83.7 years; for men it was 79.4 (England: 83.3 and 79.5). Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.2 years for women and +0.8 for men. It is 25th of 32 in London, counting from the highest for women.
The ONS counted 19,270 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses in Southwark in March 2026, 11% more than in 2016. That is 62 for every 1,000 residents, 10th of 33 in London, counting from the highest.
The ONS estimates that 312,366 people lived in Southwark in mid-2025, down 1.5% on mid-2024. The ten-year change since mid-2015 is +2.7% (London: +5.4%), the 22nd fastest growth of all 33 council areas in London. The series peaked at 317,058 in mid-2024.
The median full-time employee living in Southwark was paid £939.90 a week before tax in April 2025 (£48,681 a year). That is 4.1% above the figure for London and the 13th highest of 32 in London. For full-time jobs located in Southwark the median is £957.60 a week (+£17.70 on the residents' figure). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was £642.40: a change of +46% before inflation.
HM Land Registry puts the average price of a home in Southwark at £572,478 for July 2026, up 0.1% on a year before. That is mid-table in London, 15th of 33; the average for London was £550,037. Since July 2016 prices have fallen 2%; the July high in the series was £611,030 in 2017. The average price is 11.8 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Southwark. That ratio is mid-table in London, 16th of 32.
The claimant count for Southwark stood at 13,210 in August 2026, or 5.6% of residents aged 16 to 64 (London: 5.5%). A year earlier the rate was 5.5%. The five-year high was 7.2% (August 2021); the low was 4.7% (January 2023).
An estimated 75.5% of people aged 16 to 64 living in Southwark were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey (give or take 5.0 points), against 74.8% across London. Over the 11 years shown it ranged from 71.2% to 80.3%.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 304,048 |
| 2016 | 306,720 |
| 2017 | 307,640 |
| 2018 | 310,492 |
| 2019 | 312,591 |
| 2020 | 312,055 |
| 2021 | 306,762 |
| 2022 | 311,089 |
| 2023 | 316,080 |
| 2024 | 317,058 |
| 2025 | 312,366 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £583,138 |
| July 2017 | £611,030 |
| July 2018 | £578,787 |
| July 2019 | £576,274 |
| July 2020 | £588,798 |
| July 2021 | £539,044 |
| July 2022 | £589,778 |
| July 2023 | £580,813 |
| July 2024 | £590,060 |
| July 2025 | £572,058 |
| July 2026 | £572,478 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £642.40 a week |
| 2016 | £643.40 a week |
| 2017 | £670.10 a week |
| 2018 | £672.10 a week |
| 2019 | £709.10 a week |
| 2020 | £732.90 a week |
| 2021 | £728.90 a week |
| 2022 | £779.50 a week |
| 2023 | £818.10 a week |
| 2024 | £882.40 a week |
| 2025 | £939.90 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,206.38 |
| 2017-18 | £1,256.82 |
| 2018-19 | £1,329.54 |
| 2019-20 | £1,386.78 |
| 2020-21 | £1,440.88 |
| 2021-22 | £1,527.80 |
| 2022-23 | £1,594.54 |
| 2023-24 | £1,692.92 |
| 2024-25 | £1,792.98 |
| 2025-26 | £1,877.90 |
| 2026-27 | £1,967.26 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 103.3 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 107.5 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 109.8 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 119.7 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 123.6 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 98.1 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 107.3 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 116.1 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 122.2 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 124.9 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 121.7 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 76.5% |
| 2016/17 | 74.7% |
| 2017/18 | 79.3% |
| 2018/19 | 77.7% |
| 2019/20 | 80.3% |
| 2020/21 | 76.8% |
| 2021/22 | 75.9% |
| 2022/23 | 75.6% |
| 2023/24 | 78.3% |
| 2024/25 | 71.2% |
| 2025/26 | 75.5% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 83.5 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 83.4 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 83.4 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 83.9 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 84.1 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 84.3 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 83.4 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 83.2 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 83.2 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 83.6 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 83.7 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 17,310 |
| 2017 | 18,635 |
| 2018 | 18,315 |
| 2019 | 18,895 |
| 2020 | 19,225 |
| 2021 | 19,135 |
| 2022 | 18,940 |
| 2023 | 17,980 |
| 2024 | 18,190 |
| 2025 | 18,250 |
| 2026 | 19,270 |
Questions about Southwark
What is the crime rate in Southwark?
121.7 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in the year to March 2026, excluding fraud (Home Office).
How much is Band D council tax in Southwark?
£1,967.26 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
What is life expectancy in Southwark?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 79.4 years for men and 83.7 for women.
What is the population of Southwark?
The ONS estimates 312,366 people lived in Southwark in mid-2025.
What is the average salary in Southwark?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Southwark was £939.90 a week in April 2025 (£48,681 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is the average house price in Southwark?
£572,478 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (+0.1% on a year).
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Southwark?
The ONS claimant count was 13,210 in August 2026, 5.6% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
Who has power over Southwark
Every body that makes decisions for Southwark, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Southwark council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Southwark in official figures this page
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- Greater London Authority Greater London Authority
- Metropolitan Police Service police force
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust NHS
- NHS South East London Integrated Care Board NHS
- London in official figures
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Bermondsey and Old Southwark: Neil Coyle (Labour) MP
- Dulwich and West Norwood: Helen Hayes (Labour) MP
- Lewisham West and East Dulwich: Ellie Reeves (Labour) MP
- Peckham: Miatta Fahnbulleh (Labour (Co-op)) MP
- Vauxhall and Camberwell Green: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op)) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
Each value above links to the official file or query it was read from, on 14 October 2026. What each figure measures.
- Recorded crime: Years before April 2020 come from the earlier Home Office table.
More on this area and these figures
- Council money: spending, reserves and debt
- Figures for the whole region: London
- UK figures: Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · Life expectancy at birth (UK) · UK population
- Other council areas in London: Greenwich · Hillingdon · Hounslow · Lambeth · Lewisham · Redbridge
Related questions
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- How healthy is my area?
- What is the population of my area?
- Which council am I in?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.