Region
South East: local authorities in numbers
South East has 64 local authorities and 9,691,844 residents across 19,088 km², or 508 people per km². Population: +8.1% between 2015 and 2025.
- 9,691,844 residents
- 64 local authorities
- 19,088 km²
- 508 people/km²
Map and records: South East
All local authorities in South East
Click a column heading to sort the table.
| Local authority | Population | Population change over 10 years | Population density | Area | Share of residents aged 65 and over | Share of residents aged under 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckinghamshire | 584,296 | +10.2% | 373.4 people/km² | 1,565 | 19.4% | 19.7% |
| Milton Keynes | 308,866 | +14.5% | 1,001 people/km² | 308.6 | 14.5% | 20.9% |
| Medway | 292,697 | +6.0% | 1,511 people/km² | 193.7 | 16.8% | 20.5% |
| Brighton and Hove | 284,170 | +2.5% | 3,431 people/km² | 82.8 | 14.7% | 13.7% |
| Southampton | 259,230 | +6.0% | 5,197 people/km² | 49.9 | 14.0% | 16.6% |
| Portsmouth | 211,475 | +1.7% | 5,236 people/km² | 40.4 | 15.4% | 17.4% |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 194,037 | +9.7% | 306.1 people/km² | 633.8 | 18.3% | 18.7% |
| Maidstone | 191,415 | +16.6% | 486.6 people/km² | 393.3 | 19.0% | 19.3% |
| Wokingham | 189,024 | +16.8% | 1,056 people/km² | 179.0 | 17.7% | 20.5% |
| Reading | 183,762 | +8.6% | 4,550 people/km² | 40.4 | 12.3% | 18.1% |
| New Forest | 175,930 | −1.1% | 233.9 people/km² | 752.1 | 31.3% | 14.6% |
| Arun | 172,326 | +9.4% | 779.8 people/km² | 221.0 | 29.3% | 14.8% |
| Cherwell | 172,178 | +15.8% | 292.5 people/km² | 588.7 | 18.2% | 18.6% |
| Wealden | 168,308 | +8.3% | 201.6 people/km² | 835.0 | 27.6% | 16.3% |
| Slough | 167,450 | +11.6% | 5,146 people/km² | 32.5 | 10.0% | 23.9% |
| Oxford | 165,940 | +4.9% | 3,639 people/km² | 45.6 | 12.3% | 14.6% |
| West Berkshire | 165,523 | +4.2% | 235.1 people/km² | 704.2 | 20.8% | 18.2% |
| Mid Sussex | 163,566 | +12.3% | 489.7 people/km² | 334.0 | 21.1% | 19.0% |
| Canterbury | 162,612 | +4.1% | 526.7 people/km² | 308.7 | 22.8% | 15.8% |
| Swale | 160,671 | +12.6% | 430.2 people/km² | 373.4 | 19.4% | 19.4% |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 159,776 | +6.5% | 805.3 people/km² | 198.4 | 19.3% | 18.4% |
| Reigate and Banstead | 159,413 | +10.4% | 1,234 people/km² | 129.2 | 18.7% | 19.6% |
| South Oxfordshire | 158,084 | +12.7% | 233.0 people/km² | 678.5 | 21.6% | 17.9% |
| Vale of White Horse | 152,217 | +20.6% | 263.0 people/km² | 578.7 | 20.2% | 19.1% |
| Guildford | 152,148 | +7.5% | 561.6 people/km² | 270.9 | 17.4% | 16.5% |
| Horsham | 152,016 | +11.9% | 286.7 people/km² | 530.2 | 24.1% | 17.6% |
| Eastleigh | 143,710 | +12.0% | 1,803 people/km² | 79.7 | 20.4% | 18.6% |
| Thanet | 143,618 | +2.8% | 1,386 people/km² | 103.6 | 24.2% | 17.4% |
| Ashford | 142,523 | +14.4% | 245.5 people/km² | 580.6 | 19.9% | 19.2% |
| Elmbridge | 142,484 | +4.5% | 1,479 people/km² | 96.3 | 18.8% | 20.5% |
| Isle of Wight | 140,777 | +1.0% | 370.9 people/km² | 379.6 | 31.0% | 14.1% |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 137,913 | +9.7% | 574.4 people/km² | 240.1 | 19.7% | 19.7% |
| Waverley | 137,218 | +10.3% | 397.5 people/km² | 345.2 | 22.3% | 18.4% |
| Winchester | 136,856 | +12.7% | 207.1 people/km² | 661.0 | 21.4% | 17.7% |
| Test Valley | 135,698 | +11.0% | 216.2 people/km² | 627.7 | 22.5% | 17.8% |
| Bracknell Forest | 132,145 | +11.0% | 1,208 people/km² | 109.4 | 16.3% | 19.3% |
| East Hampshire | 130,599 | +10.0% | 253.9 people/km² | 514.4 | 24.9% | 17.0% |
| Chichester | 130,224 | +9.9% | 165.6 people/km² | 786.2 | 28.3% | 15.2% |
| Havant | 127,362 | +4.2% | 2,284 people/km² | 55.8 | 25.4% | 17.0% |
| Dartford | 126,297 | +21.0% | 1,736 people/km² | 72.7 | 13.5% | 22.5% |
| Crawley | 124,462 | +10.2% | 2,769 people/km² | 45.0 | 13.8% | 20.6% |
| Sevenoaks | 123,183 | +4.6% | 332.6 people/km² | 370.3 | 22.5% | 19.2% |
| West Oxfordshire | 121,412 | +11.0% | 169.9 people/km² | 714.4 | 22.9% | 17.4% |
| Dover | 121,055 | +7.6% | 383.9 people/km² | 315.3 | 25.2% | 17.0% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 120,098 | +4.6% | 362.5 people/km² | 331.3 | 20.4% | 19.6% |
| Fareham | 115,373 | +0.8% | 1,554 people/km² | 74.2 | 26.4% | 15.8% |
| Worthing | 113,844 | +5.1% | 3,501 people/km² | 32.5 | 23.3% | 15.9% |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 112,163 | +3.5% | 314.3 people/km² | 356.9 | 26.4% | 16.1% |
| Gravesham | 111,221 | +4.5% | 1,124 people/km² | 99.0 | 16.9% | 21.1% |
| Spelthorne | 107,188 | +7.5% | 2,095 people/km² | 51.2 | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Woking | 106,197 | +2.8% | 1,670 people/km² | 63.6 | 17.5% | 19.2% |
| Rushmoor | 106,185 | +8.7% | 2,719 people/km² | 39.0 | 15.6% | 18.5% |
| Eastbourne | 103,894 | +1.9% | 2,353 people/km² | 44.2 | 25.4% | 15.9% |
| Hart | 103,335 | +9.0% | 480.1 people/km² | 215.2 | 21.1% | 18.4% |
| Lewes | 102,648 | +2.9% | 351.4 people/km² | 292.1 | 27.4% | 15.9% |
| Rother | 96,150 | +4.8% | 187.9 people/km² | 511.7 | 33.2% | 14.4% |
| Surrey Heath | 95,094 | +6.9% | 1,000 people/km² | 95.1 | 20.7% | 18.0% |
| Runnymede | 93,013 | +11.1% | 1,192 people/km² | 78.0 | 17.5% | 17.0% |
| Hastings | 90,855 | −1.0% | 3,049 people/km² | 29.8 | 21.4% | 16.9% |
| Tandridge | 90,322 | +5.6% | 363.9 people/km² | 248.2 | 21.9% | 18.8% |
| Mole Valley | 88,808 | +1.5% | 343.8 people/km² | 258.3 | 25.1% | 16.8% |
| Epsom and Ewell | 83,370 | +5.7% | 2,446 people/km² | 34.1 | 18.4% | 19.8% |
| Gosport | 82,618 | −1.5% | 3,256 people/km² | 25.4 | 23.2% | 16.9% |
| Adur | 64,802 | +1.6% | 1,540 people/km² | 42.1 | 24.5% | 17.5% |
South East compared with the UK
Population-weighted averages for rates; totals for counts.
| Indicator | South East | the United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over | 20.2% | 19.4% |
| Share of residents aged under 16 | 18.1% | 17.7% |
| Dwellings (Council Tax stock) | 4,201,530 dwellings | 27,429,300 dwellings |
| Dwellings built before 1940 | 28.0% | 34.9% |
| Dwellings built since 2000 | 19.8% | 18.6% |
| Households (Census 2021) | 72,553 households | 111,842 households |
| Households living in a house or bungalow | 77.8% | 77.6% |
| Households living in a flat or maisonette | 21.5% | 22.0% |
| Owner-occupied households (incl. shared ownership) | 67.0% | 62.3% |
| Households renting privately | 19.2% | 20.4% |
| Households in social housing | 13.7% | 17.1% |
| Average house price | £392,981 | £308,859 |
| House price change over 12 months | 0.5% | 1.9% |
| Households without central heating | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| Households heated by mains gas only | 74.6% | 73.9% |
| Households heated by electricity only | 9.2% | 8.6% |
| Households heated by oil only | 3.2% | 3.4% |
| Business sites (local units) | 472,260 sites | 3,232,440 sites |
| Business sites per 1,000 residents | 48.7 per 1,000 | 46.5 per 1,000 |
| Registered businesses (enterprises) | 412,075 businesses | 2,786,975 businesses |
| Median annual pay, full-time residents (gross) | £41,780 | £39,498 |
| Employment rate, aged 16-64 | 79.1% | 75.6% |
| Out-of-work benefit claimants, share of residents aged 16-64 | 3.1% | 3.8% |
| Households without a car or van | 16.8% | 23.5% |
Frequently asked questions
How many local authorities are there in South East?
South East has 64 local authorities. The most populous is Buckinghamshire, with 584,296 residents.
What is the population of South East?
South East has 9,691,844 residents (2025), or 508 people per km².
Which local authority in South East is growing fastest?
Dartford has the fastest growth in South East over 10 years: +21.0%.