Official Statistics

Count of Traveller Caravans, January 2026: England

Published 2 July 2026

Applies to England

All comparisons refer to year-on-year changes to reflect the overall trend rather than seasonal fluctuations. For this statistical release (January 2026), comparisons have been made against data collected in January 2025.

Release date: 2 July 2026
Date of next release: July 2027 (provisional)
Contact: travellercaravancountform@communities.gov.uk (Responsible Statistician: Andrew Presland)
Media enquiries: NewsDesk@communities.gov.uk

1. In this release:

• Overall, the number of traveller caravans has increased since the last January count in 2025, continuing the long-term trend observed over previous counts. The total number of traveller caravans in England on the count date in January 2026 was 29,402, an increase of 2,109 (8 %) in comparison with the 27,293 caravans reported in the January 2025 count.
• The growth in number of caravans between the January 2025 and January 2026 counts can be broken down into an increase of 1,175 (5%) in the total number of caravans on authorised sites and one of 934 (23%) in the total number of caravans on unauthorised sites.
• The number of caravans on authorised privately funded sites was 17,973, an increase of 1,033 (6 %) from the 16,940 recorded in the January 2025 count.
• The number of caravans on authorised socially rented sites was 6,479, an increase of 142 (2 %) since the January 2025 count.
• Overall, the January 2026 count indicated that 83 % of traveller caravans in England were on authorised land and that 17 % were on unauthorised land.
• There were 4,950 unauthorised caravans reported in the January 2026 count, an increase of 934 (23 %) since January 2025. Of these, 4,335 were reported on unauthorised developments on land owned by travellers, an increase of 659 (18%), and 615 were on unauthorised encampments on land not owned by travellers, an increase of 275 caravans (81%) from the low figure of 340 caravans recorded in January 2025.
• The overall number of Travelling Showpeople caravans counted in January 2026 was 3,357, an increase of 2% from 3,281 in January 2025.

2. Introduction

This statistical release presents official statistics on the count of traveller caravans in England. The count is carried out to provide local data on the number of caravans and trends over time.

This publication is compiled from information submitted by local authorities in England. Up until 2025, local authorities carried out the count of caravans on traveller sites twice a year, in January and July. From 2026, following the results of the Traveller Caravan Count consultation, the count will be carried out annually in January. The count provides a snapshot of the number of caravans on the day of the count. Information is collected about caravans on authorised socially rented sites, authorised privately funded sites, unauthorised developments (sites on land owned by travellers for which planning permission has not been granted) and unauthorised encampments (sites on land not owned by travellers and which do not have planning permission).

The traveller caravan count covers data on the number of caravans in England; it does not cover the number of occupants residing in these caravans or caravan sites, or the potential drivers for any observed change.

All comparisons refer to year-on-year changes in order that changes between counts reflect the overall trend. For this statistical release (January 2026), comparisons have been made against January 2025.

The information in this release is based on data returned to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government by local authorities in England. Users should note that where updated data for previous counts is received, revisions will be made to figures from previous counts in the most recent publication only. This release presents current best estimates on the number of traveller caravans in England for the most recent as well as previous counts; the accompanying tables published alongside this release should be used for historic comparisons.

Further information is given in three accompanying live tables.

3. Count of Traveller Caravans

Local authorities carried out the January 2026 count on or around 22 January 2026. Aggregated totals by site type are presented in Table 1 below, and comparative figures from the previous count are presented in Table 2. At the time of the January 2026 count, the total number of traveller caravans in England was 29,402. Of these 6,479 (22%) were on socially rented sites; 17,973 (61%) were on privately funded sites; 4,335 (15%) were unauthorised developments on land owned by travellers; and 615 (2%) were unauthorised encampments on land not owned by travellers. This information is also illustrated in Figure 1 below and in accompanying Live Table 1.

Data on new affordable residential pitches, which was previously collected as part of the July count, will transfer to the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS) data collection as part of the LAHS 2025/2026 return.

Table 1: Number of Traveller Caravans in January 2026 by site type, England

	Number of caravans	Percentage (%) of total caravans
Caravans on Authorised sites (with planning permission)	24,452	83.2
Of this: Socially         Rented Caravans	6,479	22.0
Of this: Private         Caravans	17,973	61.1
Of which:                 Temporary                 Planning                 Permission	267	0.9
Of which:                 Permanent                 Planning                 Permission	17,706	60.2
Caravans on Unauthorised Sites (without planning permission)	4,950	16.8
Of this: Caravans         on sites on         Traveller’s own         land	4,335	14.7
Of which:                 Tolerated	1,424	4.8
Of which:                 Not                 Tolerated	2,911	9.9
Of this: Caravans         on sites not on         Traveller’s own         land	615	2.1
Of which:                 Tolerated	272	0.9
Of which:                 Not                 Tolerated	343	1.2
All caravans	29,402	100.0

Table 2: Number of Traveller Caravans in January 2025 and January 2026 by site type, England

	Number of caravans: January 2026 count	Number of caravans: January 2025 count	Difference in number of caravans between collections	Percentage difference in number of caravans between collections
Caravans on Authorised sites (with planning permission)	24,452	23,277	1,175	5.0
Of this: Socially         Rented Caravans	6,479	6,337	142	2.2
Of this: Private         Caravans	17,973	16,940	1,033	6.1
Of which:                 Temporary                 Planning                 Permission	267	452	-185	-40.9
Of which:                 Permanent                 Planning                 Permission	17,706	16,488	1,218	7.4
Caravans on Unauthorised Sites (without planning permission)	4,950	4,016	934	23.3
Of this: Caravans         on sites on         Traveller’s own         land	4,335	3,676	659	17.9
Of which:                 Tolerated	1,424	1,499	-75	-5.0
Of which:                 Not                 Tolerated	2,911	2,177	734	33.7
Of this: Caravans         on sites not on         Traveller’s own         land	615	340	275	80.9
Of which:                 Tolerated	272	132	140	106.1
Of which:                 Not                 Tolerated	343	208	135	64.9
All caravans	29,402	27,293	2,109	7.7

The total number of traveller caravans in England has risen from 21,312 in 2016 to 29,402 in January 2026, an increase of 38%. While the growth in the number of caravans has been led mainly by a rise in the number of private caravans (with permanent planning permission), there has been a large rise in the number of caravans on unauthorised sites, increasing by 934 (23%) since the previous January. This increase has been driven by an increase in caravans on travellers’ own land which do not have planning permission – an increase of 734 caravans (34%). There has also been a smaller rise in caravans not on travellers’ own land of 275 since January 2025, which represents a large percentage increase (81%) from the low figure recorded in January 2025.

Figure 1 illustrates that the number of caravans on authorised private sites has increased from 11,430 private caravans recorded in 2016 compared to 17,973 in January 2026.

Figure 1: Number of traveller caravans in England by site type over last 10 January counts (1)

1. Due to National lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Traveller Caravan Count was suspended in July 2020 and January 2021

Figure 2 shows that caravans on authorised private sites accounted for the largest proportion of the total number of caravans across England in January 2026 (61%). Caravans on unauthorised sites accounted for 17% of the total with caravans on authorised socially rented sites accounting for 22%. The underlying figures are included in accompanying Live Table 4.

Figure 2: Proportion of traveller caravans by site type groupings in January 2026 count

4. Geographic distribution

The geographic distribution of traveller caravans varies across England. Map 1 below shows the total number of caravans on authorised sites within each local authority boundary.

The data has been grouped into five categories for the purposes of mapping using the Jenks natural breaks classification method. This method splits the data into intervals based on the natural groupings observed within. The class breaks identified work to minimise the variance or difference between individual cases selected in each group whilst also maximising the variances between each group taken as a whole. Maps created using this method allow trends in the underlying data to be accurately represented, aiding interpretation and further analysis.

As indicated in the key, darker colours represent those local authorities that have reported a higher number of total caravans on authorised sites whereas lighter colours indicate local authorities that have reported lower numbers of caravans.

Map 1: Traveller caravans on authorised sites in England, January 2026

5. Historic data

The traveller caravan count took place twice a year since January 1979 until 2025, with the exception of collections cancelled in July 2020 and January 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic. From 2026, the count will be annual and held in January only. Figure 3 below shows how the total number of traveller caravans in England has changed over this period across both summer (July) and winter (January) counts. National totals from each count of the main categories of authorised and unauthorised sites are presented in accompanying Live Table 4. The figures show an increase in the overall total from 8,358 caravans in 1979 to 29,402 in January 2026.

Figure 3: Number of Traveller caravans from 1979 to 2026, England (1)

1. Due to National lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Traveller Caravan Count was suspended in July 2020 and January 2021

6. Travelling Showpeople

Data on the number of caravans/moveable dwellings occupied by Travelling Showpeople in each local authority area in England is collected as part of each January count. Travelling Showpeople caravan count data from January 2026 and previous years are published in Live Table 3. Figures on Travelling Showpeople caravans are published separately from the Traveller caravan figures, i.e. not included in the figures covered earlier in this release, and are not included in any accompanying tables apart from Live Table 3.

The overall number of Travelling Showpeople caravans counted in January 2026 was 3,357, an increase of 2% from 3,281 in January 2025. The total number of caravans on authorised and unauthorised sites from the most recent six counts are illustrated in Figure 4 below. For full disaggregated data on Travelling Showpeople caravans for the last six counts see accompanying Live Table 3.

Figure 4: Number of Travelling Showpeople caravans in England on authorised and unauthorised sites over last 6 January counts (a)

1. Due to National lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Traveller Caravan Count was suspended in January 2021

7. Accompanying tables and open data

Accompanying tables are available to download alongside this release. These include:

Table 1: Count of traveller caravans on authorised and unauthorised sites for the last six counts, nationally and by local authority area, based on local authority boundaries as at the time of the count(s);

Table 2: Location and size of traveller sites operated by local authorities and private registered providers in England - this data was last updated in July 2025;

Table 3: Number of Travelling Showpeople caravans on authorised and unauthorised sites for the last six January counts nationally and by local authority area (updated as part of the January count);

Table 4: National totals for the main categories of authorised and unauthorised sites for all counts since January 1979;

Table 5: Count of Traveller Caravans: new affordable residential pitches – this had previously been updated as part of the July count, but from 2026 onwards will be collected and published as part of the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS) collection and is not published as part of this release.

See Statistical releases and accompanying tables for data from previous caravan counts.

8. Technical Notes

Please see the accompanying Technical notes document for further details. Information on Official Statistics is available via the UK Statistics Authority website.
Information about statistics at MHCLG is available via the Department’s website.