More than two-fifths of social housing in London—typically that rented directly or indirectly from the capital’s local authorities—is now occupied by foreign-born households. In almost half of the boroughs (14 out of 32), the head of household was born overseas.
These findings are drawn from census data compiled in 2021, so the real situation could have changed further in the ensuing years. They paint a picture of how sharply London has diverged from the national average (19%) of foreign-born heads of household. Drawing on Office for National Statistics information, The Telegraph newspaper reports that a total of 376,700 lead tenants in London social housing were born outside Britain.
Social housing usually involves some degree of public subsidy; the properties in this bracket receive an average annual discount of approximately £11,600 each, compared to costs in the capital’s private rental sector. The total cost of foreign-born lead residents in London is at least £3.5 billion (€4.12 billion) per year in public funds.
The demographic change in London’s social housing is just one factor making the capital an outlier. At the start of 2025, it was revealed that one in 12 residents are there illegally (and therefore less likely to be eligible for social housing).
