Tower Hamlets: local statistics
Tower Hamlets is a London borough in London, home to an estimated 334,240 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 Tower Hamlets, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
334,240 people lived in Tower Hamlets in mid-2025, according to the ONS, a change of -0.6% in a year. That is 51,566 more people than in mid-2015, a rise of 18.2% (London: +5.4%). That is the 2nd fastest growth of all 33 council areas in London. The series peaked at 336,153 in mid-2024.
In 2022 to 2024, women in Tower Hamlets had a life expectancy at birth of 82.9 years; for men it was 78.7, compared with 83.3 and 79.5 years across England. Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +1.0 years for women and +1.2 for men. It is the 2nd lowest for women in London.
A typical home in Tower Hamlets cost £447,796 in July 2026, on the UK House Price Index, down 14.4% on July 2025. That is the 29th highest of 33 in London (regional average £550,037). This July figure is the lowest in the series, 8% below July 2016. The average price is 8.6 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Tower Hamlets. That ratio is the lowest ratio of all 32 council areas in London.
A Band D home in Tower Hamlets pays an average of £1,837.78 in council tax in 2026-27, 4.7% more than in 2025-26. It is the 28th highest of all 33 council areas in London. Ten years earlier, in 2016-17, it was £1,196.85.
In April 2025 the middle full-time earner living in Tower Hamlets took home £996.60 a week before tax (£52,000 a year). It is the 7th highest of all 32 council areas in London, and 10.4% more than across London. For full-time jobs located in Tower Hamlets the median is £1,251.20 a week (+£254.60 on the residents' figure). In 2015 the residents' median was £634.70, so it has risen 57% before inflation.
In August 2026, 17,130 people in Tower Hamlets were on the claimant count, 6.7% of residents aged 16 to 64, compared with 5.5% in London. The rate was the same a year earlier. The five-year high was 7.7% (August 2021); the low was 4.6% (February 2023).
The ONS counted 20,440 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses in Tower Hamlets in March 2026, 13% more than in 2016. There are 61 per 1,000 residents, the 11th highest of 33 in London.
In the year to March 2026, 35,377 offences were recorded by police in Tower Hamlets: 105.8 per 1,000 people, the 10th highest rate of 33 in London. That compares with 105.6 per 1,000 the year before. The highest rate in the series was 115.6, in the year to March 2019. Fraud is not included.
The Annual Population Survey estimates that 72.7% of Tower Hamlets residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026 (give or take 4.8 points), against 74.8% across London. Its lowest reading in the series was 64.6% and its highest 75.0%.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 282,674 |
| 2016 | 289,011 |
| 2017 | 293,526 |
| 2018 | 300,050 |
| 2019 | 305,066 |
| 2020 | 306,780 |
| 2021 | 312,715 |
| 2022 | 327,674 |
| 2023 | 333,985 |
| 2024 | 336,153 |
| 2025 | 334,240 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £486,813 |
| July 2017 | £493,069 |
| July 2018 | £492,845 |
| July 2019 | £476,509 |
| July 2020 | £497,277 |
| July 2021 | £546,908 |
| July 2022 | £537,767 |
| July 2023 | £499,525 |
| July 2024 | £513,869 |
| July 2025 | £522,903 |
| July 2026 | £447,796 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £634.70 a week |
| 2016 | £664.70 a week |
| 2017 | £710.40 a week |
| 2018 | £725.50 a week |
| 2019 | £780.40 a week |
| 2020 | £779.20 a week |
| 2021 | £797.50 a week |
| 2022 | £807.40 a week |
| 2023 | £862.40 a week |
| 2024 | £887.60 a week |
| 2025 | £996.60 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,196.85 |
| 2017-18 | £1,246.82 |
| 2018-19 | £1,280.37 |
| 2019-20 | £1,340.18 |
| 2020-21 | £1,392.42 |
| 2021-22 | £1,476.92 |
| 2022-23 | £1,519.98 |
| 2023-24 | £1,581.02 |
| 2024-25 | £1,675.51 |
| 2025-26 | £1,754.57 |
| 2026-27 | £1,837.78 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 101.8 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 107.4 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 108.9 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 115.6 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 112.9 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 100.9 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 109.6 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 107.5 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 111.2 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 105.6 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 105.8 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 71.9% |
| 2016/17 | 65.4% |
| 2017/18 | 64.6% |
| 2018/19 | 73.0% |
| 2019/20 | 71.7% |
| 2020/21 | 75.0% |
| 2021/22 | 72.1% |
| 2022/23 | 70.4% |
| 2023/24 | 68.5% |
| 2024/25 | 71.7% |
| 2025/26 | 72.7% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 81.9 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 81.9 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 81.6 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 82.0 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 82.1 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 82.3 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 81.7 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 81.1 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 81.2 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 81.9 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 82.9 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 18,020 |
| 2017 | 19,135 |
| 2018 | 19,210 |
| 2019 | 19,750 |
| 2020 | 19,710 |
| 2021 | 19,275 |
| 2022 | 19,065 |
| 2023 | 18,600 |
| 2024 | 18,760 |
| 2025 | 19,530 |
| 2026 | 20,440 |
Questions about Tower Hamlets
What is the population of Tower Hamlets?
The ONS estimates 334,240 people lived in Tower Hamlets in mid-2025.
What is life expectancy in Tower Hamlets?
82.9 years for women and 78.7 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
What is the average house price in Tower Hamlets?
£447,796 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (-14.4% on a year).
How much is Band D council tax in Tower Hamlets?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government gives an average Band D bill of £1,837.78 for 2026-27.
What is the average salary in Tower Hamlets?
£996.60 a week before tax, the median for full-time employees who live there (April 2025, ONS).
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Tower Hamlets?
17,130 in August 2026 (6.7% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
What is the crime rate in Tower Hamlets?
Home Office figures show 35,377 offences in the year to March 2026, or 105.8 per 1,000 people, not counting fraud.
Who has power over Tower Hamlets
Every body that makes decisions for Tower Hamlets, 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
- Tower Hamlets council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Tower Hamlets 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
- Barts Health NHS Trust NHS
- NHS North 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
- Bethnal Green and Stepney: Rushanara Ali (Labour) MP
- Poplar and Limehouse: Apsana Begum (Labour) MP
- Stratford and Bow: Uma Kumaran (Labour) 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: UK population · Life expectancy at birth (UK) · UK average house price
- Other council areas in London: Brent · Bromley · Enfield · Hillingdon · Redbridge · Wandsworth
Related questions
- What is the population of my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- What is the average house price in my area?
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- Who are my local councillors?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.