Leaving London 2026
420,492 people moved from London to elsewhere in the UK in the year to June 2025, and 288,531 moved in - a net loss of 131,961, up from 128,182 the year before. London gains people in their early twenties and loses almost every other age group, families most of all.
Key findings
- • Most leavers stay close. 257,055 of the 420,492 moves (61%) went to the South East or the East of England.
- • Buckinghamshire is the single most popular destination (11,414 moves), ahead of Birmingham (9,315).
- • Families lead the exodus. London lost a net 64,999 people aged 30-44 and 37,022 children under 15, while gaining 30,356 aged 20-24.
- • The house price gap is the draw. The average London home costs £550,037; in the South East it is £380,878, and in the North East £166,943.
Where Londoners move to, by region
| Destination | Moves from London | Share | Average home | Cheaper than London by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South East | 154,544 | 36.8% | £380,878 | £169,159 |
| East of England | 102,511 | 24.4% | £337,518 | £212,519 |
| South West | 35,838 | 8.5% | £302,298 | £247,739 |
| West Midlands | 28,779 | 6.8% | £250,880 | £299,157 |
| East Midlands | 27,104 | 6.4% | £242,274 | £307,763 |
| North West | 25,820 | 6.1% | £221,445 | £328,592 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 19,297 | 4.6% | £209,116 | £340,921 |
| North East | 9,043 | 2.2% | £166,943 | £383,094 |
| Scotland | 8,576 | 2.0% | £196,349 | £353,688 |
| Wales | 7,286 | 1.7% | £215,037 | £335,000 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,694 | 0.4% | £202,487 | £347,550 |
Moves of people, year ending June 2025. Average prices from the UK House Price Index, July 2026.
The 15 most popular destinations
| # | Local authority | Year to Jun 2025 | Year to Jun 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buckinghamshire | 11,414 | 10,897 | +4.7% |
| 2 | Birmingham | 9,315 | 9,683 | -3.8% |
| 3 | Thurrock | 6,725 | 6,105 | +10.2% |
| 4 | Brighton and Hove | 6,691 | 6,741 | -0.7% |
| 5 | Bristol | 6,593 | 6,415 | +2.8% |
| 6 | Epping Forest | 6,216 | 5,461 | +13.8% |
| 7 | Dartford | 6,184 | 6,006 | +3.0% |
| 8 | Manchester | 6,149 | 5,960 | +3.2% |
| 9 | Medway | 5,811 | 6,205 | -6.3% |
| 10 | Slough | 5,741 | 5,277 | +8.8% |
| 11 | Elmbridge | 5,675 | 5,291 | +7.3% |
| 12 | Leeds | 5,257 | 5,194 | +1.2% |
| 13 | Nottingham | 5,191 | 5,260 | -1.3% |
| 14 | Spelthorne | 4,993 | 4,953 | +0.8% |
| 15 | Hertsmere | 4,809 | 4,521 | +6.4% |
Scotland as a whole received 8,575 moves from London but is not broken down by council in this table. University cities (Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham) include student moves.
Who leaves: net change by age
| Age | Net moves (in minus out) |
|---|---|
| Children (0-14) | -37,022 |
| 15-19 | -18,082 |
| 20-24 | +30,356 |
| 25-29 | +2,039 |
| 30-44 | -64,999 |
| 45-64 | -31,207 |
| 65 and over | -13,046 |
Methodology
- • Source: ONS internal migration estimates for England and Wales, year ending June 2025 (published 29 July 2026), compared with the year ending June 2024. Regional flows from table IM2025-T6; local-authority destinations are table IM2025-T2 summed across the 33 London boroughs; ages from IM2025-T7.
- • Counts are moves of people, not households, and exclude moves within London and moves abroad.
- • House prices: UK House Price Index, July 2026.
- • Free to republish under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: “MovingCost.co.uk analysis of ONS internal migration data”, with a link to this page.
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