Dwelling Stock Estimates, England: 31 March 2023
Published 23 May 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwelling-stock-estimates-in-england-2023/dwelling-stock-estimates-england-31-march-2023
Date of next publication: It is expected that the Dwelling Stock Estimates, England: 31 March 2024 statistics will be published in May 2025 (provisional). The date will be pre-announced on the GOV.UK publication release calendar.
Key statistics
There were 25.4 million dwellings in England as of 31 March 2023, an increase of 234,400 dwellings or 0.93% on the previous year.
16.3 million dwellings were owner-occupied dwellings, an increase of 176,000 dwellings on the previous year, 4.9 million dwellings were private rented dwellings, an increase of 35,000 dwellings on the previous year, 4.1 million dwellings were social and affordable rented dwellings (Private Registered Providers plus Local Authorities), an increase of 25,000 dwellings on the previous year and 31,000 dwellings were other public sector dwellings, a decrease of 2,000 dwellings on the previous year.
There were 699,126 vacant dwellings in England on 2 October 2023, an increase of 22,822 or 3.4% from 676,304 on 3 October 2022.
There were 261,474 long-term vacant dwellings in England on 2 October 2023, an increase of 13,325 or 5.4% from 248,149 on 3 October 2022.
England had a dwelling density of 1.95 dwellings per hectare as of 31 March 2023.
Introduction
This statistical release presents National Statistics[footnote 1] [footnote 2] on estimates of the number of dwellings in England and in each local authority district as of 31 March 2023. The statistics use the Census as a baseline and apply annual net changes to the dwelling stock as measured by the related Housing supply: net additional dwellings statistics. Figures for 2023 are provisional and subject to revision. Further details are available in the technical notes. This release also includes figures on dwelling density represented by dwellings per hectare of land area.
Our interactive dashboard illustrates results and historical trends.
National estimates
As can be seen from Figure 1 and Table 1 below, there were 25.4 million dwellings in England as of 31 March 2023, an increase of 234,400 dwellings or 0.93% on the previous year.
Figure 1 Annual estimates of total dwelling stock and annual change as a percentage of existing stock, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2023
Table 1 Annual estimates of total dwelling stock, annual change in dwelling stock and annual change as a percentage of existing stock, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2023
| Year Ending 31 March | Dwelling Stock Estimates (1,000s) | Change from previous year (1,000s) | Change from previous year as a percentage of existing stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 21,210 | ||
| 2002 | 21,350 | 147 | 0.69% |
| 2003 | 21,510 | 160 | 0.75% |
| 2004 | 21,680 | 171 | 0.79% |
| 2005 | 21,870 | 186 | 0.86% |
| 2006 | 22,070 | 203 | 0.93% |
| 2007 | 22,290 | 215 | 0.97% |
| 2008 | 22,510 | 224 | 1% |
| 2009 | 22,690 | 183 | 0.81% |
| 2010 | 22,840 | 145 | 0.64% |
| 2011 | 22,980 | 137 | 0.6% |
| 2012 | 23,120 | 141 | 0.61% |
| 2013 | 23,250 | 131 | 0.57% |
| 2014 | 23,390 | 142 | 0.61% |
| 2015 | 23,570 | 177 | 0.75% |
| 2016 | 23,760 | 196 | 0.83% |
| 2017 | 23,990 | 223 | 0.94% |
| 2018 | 24,210 | 228 | 0.95% |
| 2019 | 24,460 | 248 | 1.02% |
| 2020 | 24,710 | 249 | 1.02% |
| 2021 | 24,930 | 218 | 0.88% |
| 2022 | 25,160 | 234 | 0.94% |
| 2023 | 25,400 | 234 | 0.93% |
Tenure
The tenure figures published in this release differ from those published from the English Housing Survey since the English Housing Survey statistics are in terms of households and not dwellings. In addition, the dwelling stock estimates include vacant dwellings. The trends between the Dwelling Stock Estimates and the English Housing Survey are consistent. However, the English Housing Survey is the primary measure of tenure, as the unit of households is the preferred metric, whilst the Dwelling Stock Estimates are a useful leading indicator.
As can be seen from Figure 2 and Table 2 below, the 25.4 million dwellings in England as of 31 March 2023 comprised of 16.3 million owner-occupied dwellings, 4.9 million private rented dwellings, 2.6 million dwellings rented from Private Registered Providers (also known as Housing Associations) and 1.6 million dwellings rented from Local Authorities.
Figure 2 Annual estimates of total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2023
Table 2 Annual estimates of total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2023
| Year Ending 31 March | Owner-Occupied (1,000s) | Private Rented Sector (1,000s) | Social and affordable rented (1,000s) | Other Public (1,000s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 14,735 | 2,133 | 4,236 | 103 |
| 2002 | 14,846 | 2,197 | 4,198 | 112 |
| 2003 | 14,769 | 2,549 | 4,091 | 104 |
| 2004 | 14,987 | 2,578 | 4,037 | 83 |
| 2005 | 15,100 | 2,720 | 3,968 | 82 |
| 2006 | 15,051 | 2,987 | 3,953 | 82 |
| 2007 | 15,093 | 3,182 | 3,938 | 75 |
| 2008 | 15,067 | 3,443 | 3,927 | 74 |
| 2009 | 14,968 | 3,705 | 3,947 | 74 |
| 2010 | 14,896 | 3,912 | 3,966 | 65 |
| 2011 | 14,828 | 4,105 | 3,981 | 62 |
| 2012 | 14,760 | 4,286 | 3,996 | 75 |
| 2013 | 14,702 | 4,465 | 4,013 | 67 |
| 2014 | 14,691 | 4,623 | 4,012 | 64 |
| 2015 | 14,708 | 4,773 | 4,030 | 55 |
| 2016 | 14,830 | 4,832 | 4,043 | 57 |
| 2017 | 15,086 | 4,798 | 4,045 | 56 |
| 2018 | 15,353 | 4,773 | 4,044 | 43 |
| 2019 | 15,591 | 4,762 | 4,066 | 42 |
| 2020 | 15,776 | 4,813 | 4,088 | 33 |
| 2021 | 15,914 | 4,875 | 4,105 | 33 |
| 2022 | 16,107 | 4,904 | 4,117 | 34 |
| 2023 | 16,283 | 4,939 | 4,143 | 31 |
As can be seen from Figure 3 and Table 3 below, between 31 March 2022 and 31 March 2023, the number of owner-occupied dwellings increased by 176,000 dwellings, the number of private rented sector dwellings increased by 35,000 dwellings and the number of social and affordable rented dwellings (the total rented from Private Registered Providers and Local Authorities) increased by 25,000 dwellings. The increase resulted from a change of 30,000 in Private Registered Provider dwellings and a decrease of 4,000 in Local Authority dwellings. The number of other public sector dwellings decreased by 2320 dwellings between 31 March 2022 and 31 March 2023.
Figure 3 Annual change in total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2023
Table 3 Annual change in total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2023
| Year Ending 31 March | Owner-Occupied (1,000s) | Private Rented Sector (1,000s) | Social and affordable rented (1,000s) | Other Public (1,000s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 111 | 64 | -38 | 9 |
| 2003 | -77 | 352 | -107 | -8 |
| 2004 | 218 | 29 | -55 | -21 |
| 2005 | 114 | 142 | -69 | -1 |
| 2006 | -50 | 267 | -15 | 0 |
| 2007 | 42 | 195 | -15 | -8 |
| 2008 | -26 | 261 | -11 | -1 |
| 2009 | -98 | 261 | 20 | 0 |
| 2010 | -73 | 207 | 19 | -9 |
| 2011 | -68 | 194 | 14 | -3 |
| 2012 | -68 | 181 | 16 | 12 |
| 2013 | -58 | 179 | 16 | -7 |
| 2014 | -11 | 158 | -1 | -3 |
| 2015 | 17 | 151 | 19 | -9 |
| 2016 | 122 | 59 | 12 | 2 |
| 2017 | 255 | -34 | 3 | -1 |
| 2018 | 267 | -25 | -1 | -13 |
| 2019 | 239 | -11 | 21 | -2 |
| 2020 | 184 | 50 | 22 | -8 |
| 2021 | 138 | 62 | 18 | 0 |
| 2022 | 193 | 29 | 12 | 0 |
| 2023 | 176 | 35 | 25 | -2 |
As can be seen from Figure 4 and Table 4 below, the proportion of dwellings in owner occupation reached a peak of 69.5% in 2002. Since then, owner occupation has gradually declined to 62.4% in 2015 and 2016, but has increased slightly since, reaching 64.1% as at 31 March 2023 (up from 64.0% on 31 March 2022). This is comparable with the latest figures on households in owner occupation as revealed by the English Housing Survey, which show household owner occupation rates of 65% in 2022-23 (this proportion has been similar over the last decade but has seen an increase from 63% in 2016-17).
Correspondingly, the proportion of dwellings in the private rented sector has gradually increased to 20.3% in 2016, but has since fallen. As of 31 March 2023, the private rented sector are 19.4% of the total dwelling stock, down by 0.1 percentage points from 19.5% as of 31 March 2022.
Social and affordable rented dwellings are 16.3% of the total dwelling stock as of 31 March 2023, down by 0.1 percentage points from 16.4% as of 31 March 2022.
Other public sector dwellings are 0.1% of the total dwelling stock as of 31 March 2023, unchanged from the previous year.
Figure 4 Proportion of total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2023
Table 4 Proportion of total dwelling stock by tenure, England, as of 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2023
| Year Ending 31 March | Owner-Occupied | Private Rented Sector | Social and affordable rented | Other Public |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 69.5% | 10.1% | 20.0% | 0.5% |
| 2002 | 69.5% | 10.3% | 19.7% | 0.5% |
| 2003 | 68.7% | 11.8% | 19.0% | 0.5% |
| 2004 | 69.1% | 11.9% | 18.6% | 0.4% |
| 2005 | 69% | 12.4% | 18.1% | 0.4% |
| 2006 | 68.2% | 13.5% | 17.9% | 0.4% |
| 2007 | 67.7% | 14.3% | 17.7% | 0.3% |
| 2008 | 66.9% | 15.3% | 17.4% | 0.3% |
| 2009 | 66% | 16.3% | 17.4% | 0.3% |
| 2010 | 65.2% | 17.1% | 17.4% | 0.3% |
| 2011 | 64.5% | 17.9% | 17.3% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 63.8% | 18.5% | 17.3% | 0.3% |
| 2013 | 63.2% | 19.2% | 17.3% | 0.3% |
| 2014 | 62.8% | 19.8% | 17.2% | 0.3% |
| 2015 | 62.4% | 20.3% | 17.1% | 0.2% |
| 2016 | 62.4% | 20.3% | 17.0% | 0.2% |
| 2017 | 62.9% | 20.0% | 16.9% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | 63.4% | 19.7% | 16.7% | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 63.7% | 19.5% | 16.6% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 63.8% | 19.5% | 16.5% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 63.8% | 19.6% | 16.5% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 64% | 19.5% | 16.4% | 0.1% |
| 2023 | 64.1% | 19.4% | 16.3% | 0.1% |
Subnational estimates
Regional estimates
The proportion of dwellings in the owner occupation sector increased in the North East, the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, the South East and the South West by 0.7, 0.2, 1.0, 1.1 and 0.7 percentage points respectively from 31 March 2022 to 31 March 2023.
The proportion of dwellings in the owner occupation sector changed by 0.0 percentage points in the East of England.
Correspondingly, the proportion of dwellings in the owner occupation sector decreased in the East Midlands, the West Midlands and London by 0.8, 0.8, and 1.1 percentage points respectively from 31 March 2022 to 31 March 2023.
Local authority estimates
The breakdown of the private sector into owner-occupied and privately rented dwelling stock at the local authority district is not available (as the split is based on survey information held at regional level only). For further details, please see the technical notes.
As of 31 March 2023, England had a mean dwelling density of 1.95 dwellings per hectare.
As can be seen from figure 5 (left) below, the local authority with the highest dwelling density was Kensington and Chelsea with 73.97 dwellings per hectare and the local authority with the lowest dwelling density was Eden with 0.14 dwellings per hectare as of 31 March 2023.
As can be seen from Figure 5 (right) below, the local authority with the largest increase in dwelling density as of 31 March 2023 since the 2011 census was Tower Hamlets with 18.18 dwellings per hectare from 53.27 in 2011 to 71.45 in 2023. Outside of London, the local authority with the largest increase in dwelling density as of 31 March 2023 since the 2011 census was Watford with 2.58 dwellings per hectare from 17.46 in 2011 to 20.04 in 2023.
Figure 5 Dwellings per hectare[footnote 3] (left) and change in dwellings per hectare from 2011 (right), by each English local authority district, 31 March 2023
Vacant dwellings
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ previously published vacant dwellings table (live table 615) brings together figures on all vacant dwellings and all long-term vacant dwellings in England at local authority district level from 2004 (when records began). This is drawn from several separately published sources. The England figures have been previously published within the Council Taxbase statistics.The Council Tax Base reports on dwellings on the Council Tax list, and whether they are receiving discounts or are being charged premiums. This includes dwellings that have been reported as empty (ie unoccupied and unfurnished) for the purposes of council tax, and so may be subject to a discount or not, charged a premium or fall into an exempt category. The all vacants figures will also include properties that have a council tax exemption. The data are reported from all local authorities and taken as a snapshot of their Council Tax administration system in October.
As can be seen from Figure 6 below, there were 699,126 vacant dwellings in England on 2 October 2023, an increase of 22,822 or 3.4% from 676,304 on 3 October 2022. On 2 October 2023, vacant dwellings are 2.8% of the dwelling stock in England.
Further, there were 261,474 long-term vacant dwellings in England on 2 October 2023, an increase of 13,325 or 5.4% from 248,149 on 3 October 2022. On 2 October 2023, long-term vacant dwellings are 1% of the dwelling stock in England.
Figure 6 Number of vacant and long-term vacant dwellings, England, 2004 to 2023
Accompanying tables and open data
Tables
Accompanying tables are available to download alongside this release.
Open data
These statistics are available in fully open and linkable data formats at Open Data Communities.
Technical Notes
Please see the accompanying Technical Notes for further details.
Enquiries
Media enquiries: 0303 444 1209
Email: NewsDesk@levellingup.gov.uk
Public enquiries and Responsible Statistician: Neil Higgins
Email: housing.statistics@levellingup.gov.uk
Information on Official Statistics is available via the UK Statistics Authority website.
Information about statistics at DLUHC is available via the Department’s website.
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To calculate dwellings per hectare, we divide total dwelling stock by land area in hectares. ↩