Unemployment rate by London borough

Last updated: April 2026

Next update: July 2026

What does this indicator show?

This indicator shows the unemployment rate for people aged 16+ in each London borough. Someone is classed as ‘unemployed’ if they are not working, but actively looking for a job.

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 7.9%).

The London boroughs with the lowest unemployment rates are Westminster (3.3%), Wandsworth (3.6%), and Kingston upon Thames (3.7%).

The vast majority of London boroughs (27) 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, 24 boroughs saw their unemployment rate increase while 7 boroughs saw decreases in unemployment rates.

Newham, and Waltham Forest all saw their unemployment rates increase by more than 2 percentage points, while unemployment rates in Westminster and Camden decreased by 1.8 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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