House prices vary widely in the United Kingdom (UK), but housing in certain cities and counties is substantially pricier than in others. Surrey, for example, concentrated four of the most expensive towns to buy a home, including Virginia Water, Cobham, and Esher. With an average house price of over one million British pounds as of June 2024, housing in these towns cost roughly four times the national average. How did house prices change since the COVID-19 pandemic? Since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, demand for housing has been especially high, causing house prices to soar. Among major UK cities, the house price increase was most prominent in Belfast, where it rose by 5.5 percent in 2024. According to the UK House Price Index, the average annual house price increase on a national level was even higher. How long does it take to sell a house? With the demand for housing going strong and inventory running low, aspiring homeowners need to act faster than ever when making an offer on a home. The average number of days on market has continued shortening since the start of 2021 and was a little over a month as of October 2021. Surprisingly, selling a property took the longest in the UK’s most competitive market - London.

The gross domestic product per capita of London was 57,338 British pounds in 2022, far larger than that of other major cities in England, such as Manchester which had a GDP per capita of 31,178 pounds.

In 2022, London had a gross domestic product of over 508 billion British pounds, by far the most of any region of the United Kingdom. The region of South East England which surrounds London had the second-highest GDP in this year, at over 341 billion pounds. North West England, which includes the major cities of Manchester and Liverpool, had the third-largest GDP among UK regions, at approximately 223.5 billion pounds. Levelling Up the UK London’s economic dominance of the UK can clearly be seen when compared to the other regions of the country. In terms of GDP per capita, the gap between London and the rest of the country is striking, standing at 57,338 pounds per person in the UK capital, compared with just over 33,593 pounds in the rest of the country. To address the economic imbalance, successive UK governments have tried to implement "levelling-up policies", which aim to boost investment and productivity in neglected areas of the country. The success of these programs going forward may depend on their scale, as it will likely take high levels of investment to reverse economic neglect regions have faced in the recent past. Overall UK GDP The gross domestic product for the whole of the United Kingdom amounted to 2.56 trillion British pounds in 2024. During this year, GDP grew by 0.9 percent, following a growth rate of 0.4 percent in 2023. Due to the overall population of the UK growing faster than the economy, however, GDP per capita in the UK fell in both 2023 and 2024. Nevertheless, the UK remains one of the world’s biggest economies, with just five countries (the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and India) having larger economies. It is it likely that several other countries will overtake the UK economy in the coming years, with Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, and Mexico all expected to have larger economies than Britain by 2050.

The city of Paris in France had an estimated gross domestic product of 757.6 billion Euros in 2021, the most of any European city. Paris was followed by the spanish capital, Madrid, which had a GDP of 237.5 billion Euros, and the Irish capital, Dublin at 230 billion Euros. Milan, in the prosperous north of Italy, had a GDP of 228.4 billion Euros, 65 billion euros larger than the Italian capital Rome, and was the largest non-capital city in terms of GDP in Europe. The engine of Europe Among European countries, Germany had by far the largest economy, with a gross domestic product of over 4.18 trillion Euros. The United Kingdom or France have been Europe's second largest economy since the 1980s, depending on the year, with forecasts suggesting France will overtake the UK going into the 2020s. Germany however, has been the biggest European economy for some time, with five cities (Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Frankfurt) among the 15 largest European cities by GDP. Europe's largest cities In 2023, Moscow was the largest european city, with a population of nearly 12.7 million. Paris was the largest city in western Europe, with a population of over 11 million, while London was Europe's third-largest city at 9.6 million inhabitants.

FOCUSON**LONDON**2011:**POVERTY**:THE**HIDDEN**CITY

One of the defining features of London is that it is a city of contrasts. Although it is considered one of the richest cities in the world, over a million Londoners are living in relative poverty, even before the additional costs of living in the capital are considered.

This edition of Focus on London, authored by Rachel Leeser, presents a detailed analysis of poverty in London that reveals the scale and distribution of poverty in the capital.

REPORT:

Read the full report as a PDF.

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PRESENTATION:

What do we mean by living in poverty, and how does the model affect different types of families? This interactive presentation provides some clarity on a complex concept.

CHARTS:

The motion chart shows the relationship between child poverty and worklessness at borough level, and shows how these two measures have changed since 2006. It reveals a significant reduction in workless households in Hackney (down 12 per cent), and to a lesser extent in Brent (down 7 per cent).

The bar chart shows child poverty rates and the change in child poverty since 2006. It reveals that while Tower Hamlets has the highest rate of child poverty, it also has one of the fastest falling rates (down 12 per cent), though Haringey had the biggest fall (15 per cent).

Charts

DATA:

All the data contained within the Poverty: The Hidden City report as well as the data used to create the charts and maps can be accessed in this spreadsheet.

FACTS:

Some interesting facts from the data…

● Highest proportion of children in workless households, by borough, 2010

1. Westminster – 35.6%
2. Barking and Dagenham – 33.6%
3. Lewisham – 33.1%
4. Newham – 31.4%
5. Islington – 30.6%

-31. Barnet – 9.1%

-32. Richmond upon Thames – 7.0%

● Changes in proportions of workless households, 2006-09, by borough

1. Hackney – down 12.3%
2. Brent – down 7.3%
3. Tower Hamlets – down 4.8%
4. Lambeth – down 4.2%
5. Hillingdon – down 4.1%

-31. Enfield – up 5.8%

-32. Bexley – up 7.3%

● Highest reduction in rates of child poverty 2006-09, by borough:

1. Haringey – down 15.0%
2. Newham – down 12.9%
3. Hackney – down 12.8%
4. Tower Hamlets – down 12.1%
5. Southwark – down 11.5%

-31. Bexley – up 6.0%

-32. Havering – up 10.3%

In 2022, the gross domestic product per capita in London was 57,338 British pounds, compared with 33,593 pounds per capita for the United Kingdom as a whole. Apart from London, the only other region of the UK that had a greater GDP per capita than the UK average was South East England, at 36,425 pounds per capita. By contrast, North East England had the lowest GDP per capita among UK regions, at 24,172 pounds. Regional imbalance in the UK economy? London's overall GDP in 2022 was over 508 billion British pounds, which accounted for almost a quarter of the overall GDP of the United Kingdom. South East England had the second-largest regional economy in the country, with a GDP of almost 341.7 billion British pounds. Furthermore, these two regions were the only ones that had higher levels of productivity (as measured by output per hour worked) than the UK average. While recent governments have recognized regional inequality as a major challenge facing the country, it may take several years for any initiatives to bear fruit. The creation of regional metro mayors across England is one of the earliest attempts at giving regions and cities in particular more power over spending in their regions than they currently have. UK economy growth slow in late 2024 After ending 2023 with two quarters of negative growth, the UK economy grew at the reasonable rate of 0.8 percent and 0.4 percent in the first and second quarters of the year. This was, however, followed by zero growth in the third quarter, and by just 0.1 percent in the last quarter of the year. Other economic indicators, such as the inflation rate, fell within the expected range in 2024, but have started to rise again, with a rate of three percent recorded in January 2025. While unemployment has witnessed a slight uptick since 2022, it is still at quite low levels compared with previous years.

Humbie and Gullane in East Lothian, were two of the most expensive towns for residential property in Scotland as of February 2022. The average house price in both towns was estimated at over 500,000 British pounds. In comparison, the average house price in Scotland was almost three times lower.

Which are the most expensive streets to live in Scotland? With the average house price valued at approximately 3.6 million British pounds, Whitehouse terrace, Edinburgh EH9 was the most expensive street for residential real estate in Scotland in 2022. This was almost twice higher than in the second priciest street, Caledonian crescent Auchterarder PH3.

Compared to other regions in the UK, Scotland is affordable Though 3.6 million British pounds is an impressive figure, not all housing in Scotland falls in this price bracket. In fact, with an average house price of about 170,000 British pounds, Scotland is the third most affordable region for first-time home buyers. Furthermore, it has the second lowest rent to income ratio in the UK.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This inquiry into the views of the year 2000 held by the younger generation took place under the auspices of the European Coordination Centre for Research and Documentation in the Social Sciences, established at Vienna, which was founded by UNESCO and which is a division of the International Social Science Council at Paris. The technical coordination was in the hands of the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo, under the direction of Johan Galtung.
The objective of the inquiry was to examine attitudes of people in the age group 15 - 40 years towards various aspects of the future, with particular reference to war, peace and disarmament. The great attractiveness of such an inquiry lies in comparing the results of countries with very different political and philosophical backgrounds. Eleven countries are covered by this study.
Main Topics:
Attitudinal/Behavioural Questions
Respondent's future-consciousness is assessed in terms of his thinking about the future of the world and of his country, his perception of the year 2000 as the near or distant future, his talking, seeing, hearing and reading about the future. Respondent predictions: what he considers will be the main differences between life today and life in the year 2000 (particularly what he feels would be the best and worst things that could happen). Employing a 9-point scale (i.e. 'best' - 'worst' possible life) the respondent is requested to indicate where he would place himself: a) at the present time, b) five years ago, c) five years from now, d) in the year 2000. Using the same procedure he is asked to assess future trends of his country and of the world.
More specifically, the respondent is asked to predict social trends in his country covering topics such as: happiness and work satisfaction, leisure, unemployment, religion, kinship and marriage, material wealth, spiritual contentment, sexual freedom, mental illness, use of narcotics and drugs, crime, social differentiation, the role of women, the role of young people, city dwelling and manual work. It is recorded whether, in most cases, the respondent's hopes coincide with his predictions.
Respondent predictions of the possibilities of science in the year 2000 are ascertained. Namely, whether it will be possible: to predetermine the sex and major personality feature of one's child, to cure dangerous diseases (e.g. cancer), to predetermine the weather, to travel to other planets. The respondent is again asked to state whether his hopes coincide with his predictions.
War, armament and disarmament: respondent assessments of world trends in this area are recorded. In addition, he is asked to assess the probable effects of a third world war on his native country, and to state his opinion on how such a war is most likely to break out (i.e. by accident, by extension of a limited conflict or by one big power attacking another big power). Any value, goal or ideal the respondent believes could justify a war with nuclear weapons/without nuclear weapons is noted. A list of 25 ideas on how world peace might be obtained is included and respondents are asked to state whether they agree or disagree with each statement (e.g. 'to obtain peace, hunger and poverty must be abolished all over the world', 'to obtain peace, we must have general and complete disarmament as soon as possible', etc.). Information also includes whether the respondent thinks that peace can be realised by the year 2000 and whether he believes he can contribute anything himself to the realisation of this proposal; what he believes is most likely to happen in the relations between capitalist and socialist countries, between rich and poor countries and between different races. Finally, respondent's knowledge of the membership of NATO and the Warsaw Pact is tested.
Opinion is ascertained on a number of items tapping the personality of the respondent (e.g. dogmatism). Social satisfaction of the respondent is measured in regard to income, job, influence on public affairs, living in his country, whether the respondent believes he has control over his future and, if so, how he feels he should direct this future. He is also asked to comparatively evaluate certain activities and views of the younger and older generations.
Background Variables
Age, sex, marital status, education, occupational details, work satisfaction (ideal occupation is noted), personal monthly income quartile, satisfaction with income received, occupation of head of household (where different), total monthly income quartile of household, household composition, area of residence (i.e. density of population, geographical region - where available), whether respondent practises religion or considers himself to be a `believer', parental household composition, father's occupational details, whether mother worked outside the home, area of childhood residence...

London was by far the largest urban agglomeration in the United Kingdom in 2023, with an estimated population of 9.65 million people, more than three times as large as Manchester, the UK’s second-biggest urban agglomeration. The agglomerations of Birmingham and Leeds / Bradford had the third and fourth-largest populations respectively, while the biggest city in Scotland, Glasgow, was the fifth largest. Largest cities in Europe Two cities in Europe had larger urban areas than London, with the Russian capital Moscow having a population of almost 12.7 million. The city of Paris, located just over 200 miles away from London, was the second-largest city in Europe, with a population of more than 11.2 million people. Paris was followed by London in terms of population-size, and then by the Spanish cities of Madrid and Barcelona, at 6.75 million and 5.68 million people respectively. Russia's second-biggest city; St. Petersburg had a population of 5.56 million, followed by Rome at 4.3 million, and Berlin at 3.5 million. London’s population growth Throughout the 1980s, the population of London fluctuated from a high of 6.81 million people in 1981 to a low of 6.73 million inhabitants in 1988. During the 1990s, the population of London increased once again, growing from 6.8 million at the start of the decade to 7.15 million by 1999. London's population has continued to grow since the turn of the century, reaching a peak of 8.96 million people in 2019, and is forecast to reach 9.8 million by 2043.

This statistic shows the highest valued towns in Wales as of June 2021, by average property value in British pounds. The town of Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan has the highest average property value of any town in Wales with an average house price of approximately 452,000 British pounds.

Between 1500 and 1800, London grew to be the largest city in Western Europe, with its population growing almost 22 times larger in this period. London would eventually overtake Constantinople as Europe's largest in the 1700s, before becoming the largest city in the world (ahead of Beijing) in the early-1800s.

The most populous cities in this period were the capitals of European empires, with Paris, Amsterdam, and Vienna growing to become the largest cities, alongside the likes of Lisbon and Madrid in Iberia, and Naples or Venice in Italy. Many of northwestern Europe's largest cities in 1500 would eventually be overtaken by others not shown here, such as the port cities of Hamburg, Marseilles or Rotterdam, or more industrial cities such as Berlin, Birmingham, and Munich.

By 1800, London had grown to be the largest city in Western Europe with just under one million inhabitants. Paris was now the second largest city, with over half a million people, and Naples was the third largest city with 450 thousand people. The only other cities with over two hundred thousand inhabitants at this time were Vienna, Amsterdam and Dublin. Another noticeable development is the inclusion of many more northern cities from a wider variety of countries. The dominance of cities from France and Mediterranean countries was no longer the case, and the dispersal of European populations in 1800 was much closer to how it is today, more than two centuries later.

According to the Hurun Global Rich List 2024, China housed the highest number of billionaires worldwide in 2024. In detail, there were 814 billionaires living in China as of January that year. By comparison, 800 billionaires resided in the United States. India, the United Kingdom, and Germany were also the homes of a significant number of billionaires that year. United States lost its first place As the founder and exporter of consumer capitalism, it is no surprise that the United States is home to a large number of billionaires. However, the United States has lost their place as the country with the most billionaires in the world to China. This rise of billionaires in China has coincided with the liberalization of its economy and successive high growth rates. However, North America still leads the way in terms of the highest number of ultra high net worth individuals – those with a net worth of more than fifty million U.S. dollars. The prominence of Europe and North America is a reflection of the higher degree of economic development in those states. However, this may also change as China and other emerging economies continue developing. Female billionaires Moreover, the small proportion of female billionaires does little to counter critics claiming the global economy is dominated by an elite comprised mainly of men. On the list of the 20 richest people in the world, only one was a woman. Moreover, recent political discourse has put a great amount of attention on the wealth held by the super-rich with the wealth distribution of the global population being heavily unequal.

The City of Edinburgh had a gross domestic product of just over 28 billion British pounds in 2022, the most of any local area of Scotland. Glasgow City had the second-highest GDP of Scottish local areas, at just under 25.8 billion pounds followed by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire at around 17.76 billion pounds.

London was the most attractive financial center in Western Europe as of March 2024. According to five broad areas of competitiveness that the ranking was built on (business environment, human capital, infrastructure, financial sector development, and reputation), London received 747 points. Geneva ranked second, with a rating of 738. According to the Global Power City Index (GPCI), London was also the most attractive city worldwide for its economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment, and accessibility. Financial employment in the UK In 2022, the value added in the finance and insurance services sector in the United Kingdom as a percentage of total GDP was one of the largest in Europe. However, total employment in the financial services sector overall decreased since 2008. The mean weekly wage of full-time employees in the financial and insurance sector also dropped and never recovered from a sharp decrease in 2018. Largest European financial institutions In 2022, HSBC topped the list of the largest European banks in terms of total assets. With more than 2.86 trillion euros, the UK-based giant ranked before BNP Paribas, the largest banking institution in France. In the same year, HSBC also performed better than any other European bank in terms of pre-tax profit.

In 2023, 225,000 individuals with net assets of at least 30 million U.S. dollars were residing in the United States, by far the highest number of any country. By comparison, China, which had the second highest number of ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWIs), had less than 100,000 individuals with assets amounting to 30 million U.S. dollars or more.Place of residence of ultra high net worth individuals The residency of almost half of the world’s ultra high net worth individuals in the United States explains the dominance of North America in regard to the number of ultra high net worth individuals by region. Hong Kong was the city with the most UHNWIs in 2022, followed by New York, London, and Los Angeles. Source of wealth and gender differences A majority of the world's UHNWIs are self-made. However, looking at billionaires, there is a clear difference between men and women; whereas a majority of billionaire men were self-made, a majority of the women had inherited their fortune.

In 2022/23, Manchester City's total revenue exceeded all other clubs in the Premier League, amounting to 718 million British pounds. The club that generated the least revenue was AFC Bournemouth, at 141 million British pounds.