Unemployment rate by London borough

Last updated: January 2026
Next update: September 2026

What does this indicator show?

Unemployed people are not working but are actively trying to find a job. This indicator shows the unemployment rate for people aged 16+ in each London borough.

Where is unemployment highest in London?

The unemployment rate varies significantly across London boroughs. Newham has the highest rate at 8.7%, followed by Barking and Dagenham and Brent (both at 8.2%).

The London boroughs with the lowest unemployment rates are all south of the River Thames. Bexley (3.7%), Wandsworth (3.7%) and Kingston upon Thames (3.8%) all have unemployment rates below 4%.

The vast majority of London boroughs (26) have higher unemployment rates than the average for the rest of England.

Unemployment going up in a majority of boroughs

Compared to the previous year, 19 boroughs saw their unemployment rate increase while 11 boroughs saw decreases in unemployment rates.

Newham, Brent, Greenwich, Lambeth and Waltham Forest all saw their unemployment rates increase by 2 percentage points or more, while unemployment rates in Westminster decreased by 1.5 percentage points.

The figures presented here for the London boroughs are modelled estimates of unemployment for the 12 months to September of each year. The figure for the London average is based on responses to the Annual Population Survey. The unemployment rate is the proportion of economically active people (that is those either employed or unemployed) who are unemployed.

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