Number of rough sleepers in London 2013-2023, by gender

In 2022/23, 8,172 men were reported to be sleeping rough in London with a further 1,642 women, and eleven non-binary people. Since 2010/11 there has been an increase in the number of people reported to be sleeping rough in London, increasing from almost 4,000 in 2010/11 to more than 10,000 by 2022/23. Throughout this time period, the majority of people seen to be sleeping rough in London have been men.

Characteristics of homeless people in London

Of the rough sleepers seen in London in 2022/23, the most common age group were those aged between 36 and 45, which accounted for 32.1 percent of all rough sleepers. In terms of nationality, most rough sleepers were from the United Kingdom at 4,265 people, with Romanian being the second-highest nationality, at 1,031 people. The London Borough which had the highest number of people sleeping rough was Westminster, at 2,050 people, while the borough of Sutton had the fewest rough sleepers, at 30.

Tragic implications of homelessness

In 2021, 143 homeless people in London lost their lives, which was the highest number of homeless deaths per region in England and Wales. In terms of the homeless death rate, the worst region was also London, at 22.5 deaths per million people in 2021. North West England had the second-highest deaths per million people, at 21. Between 2013 and 2019, the number of homeless deaths in England and Wales increased from 392 to 563, before falling to 490 in 2020 and 480 in 2021.