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South East

Interactive map displaying South East

About

South East England covers counties including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Hampshire, Kent, East and West Sussex and the Isle of Wight. The region has a long coastline along the English Channel and the Thames Estuary, and contains chalk landscapes such as the North and South Downs and the White Cliffs of Dover. Rivers such as the Thames and the Medway cross agricultural plains, ancient woodlands and market towns, while seaside settlements and ferry ports sit where land meets sea.

Towns and cities range from Portsmouth and Southampton on the south coast to Canterbury and Winchester inland. Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard displays HMS Victory and the Mary Rose, and the Isle of Wight is marked by The Needles rock stacks off its western headland. The local economy mixes maritime services, advanced manufacturing, higher education and transport hubs, with major motorways, rail corridors, Gatwick Airport and cross-Channel ferry routes linking the region.

Area overview

On average South East has low deprivation and low crime levels, with around 64 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, about 37% below the England average of 101 per 1,000. Approximately 12.1% of homes in this area are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. The average income per household in South East is £63,135 per year. There are 3152 schools in South East: 2637 primary (248 Outstanding and 2025 Good) and 515 secondary (80 Outstanding and 342 Good). South East is home to around 9,278,065 people, with a population density of about 486.5 per km².

Crime rate
4/10
Crimes per 1k residents
64
Deprivation level
4/10
Income level
6/10
Social housing
12.1%
Connectivity
4/10

Area Profile

South East Population
9,278,065
Population density
486.5 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
31.71(-9%)
Anti-social behaviour
12.3(-25%)
Shoplifting
7.98(-2%)
Criminal damage and arson
6.45(-11%)
Public order
6.07(-14%)
England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
7,315,058
78.84%
Other White
586,569
6.32%
Indian
241,537
2.6%
Other Asian
159,487
1.72%
African
150,540
1.62%
Total population: 9,278,063

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
2,702,048
35.77%
Level 3 (A level)
1,313,552
17.39%
No qualifications
1,162,221
15.38%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
1,046,800
13.86%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
739,122
9.78%
Total 16+ residents: 7,554,580

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns outright
1,306,219
34.3%
Owns with a mortgage
1,194,256
31.36%
Private landlord or letting agency
645,050
16.94%
Other social rented
318,937
8.38%
Social rents from council
200,415
5.26%
Total households: 3,807,966

Property prices in South East

Median price£380,000
Price per sq ft£406
Sales (last 12 months)106,391
Typical range (middle 50%)£280K – £533K

Based on 106,391 recent sales, the median property price is £380,000 (about £406 per square foot) in South East area, with individual transactions ranging from £38,000 up to £100,000,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in South East over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached29,129£595,000£439
Semi-Detached29,055£400,000£422
Terraced27,893£325,000£390
Flats20,314£220,000£345

10-year price trendmedian sale price in South East

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in South East.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£475,000£204,950£320,000£270,000
2017£487,000£210,000£330,000£275,000
2018£495,000£212,500£335,000£280,000
2019£495,000£210,000£335,000£278,000
2020£520,000£211,500£350,000£287,500
2021£557,500£224,000£370,000£306,000
2022£605,000£230,000£405,000£335,000
2023£600,000£230,000£400,000£327,000
2024£590,000£230,000£395,000£325,000
2025£600,000£225,000£400,000£330,000
2026£577,000£215,000£400,000£322,500
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in South East.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in South East.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£351£324£336£313
2017£359£333£346£321
2018£369£336£353£328
2019£367£333£351£325
2020£376£333£361£335
2021£402£344£383£356
2022£445£364£425£391
2023£447£359£422£387
2024£438£359£415£387
2025£441£353£420£391
2026£430£337£421£389
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in South East.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for South East in the last year.

Frequently asked questions about South East

Is South East safe?

South East records about 64 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a low crime rate for England: it scores 4 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level.

Which is the safest district in South East?

Among the 64 districts of South East, Waverley has the lowest crime rate, with about 36 crimes per 1,000 residents per year (the South East average is 64 per 1,000) based on official Police.uk data.

What is the average house price in South East?

The median sale price in South East is £380,000 (about £406 per square foot) based on 106,391 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

Are there good schools in South East?

South East has 2,637 primary schools (248 rated Outstanding, 2025 Good) and 515 secondary schools (80 rated Outstanding, 342 Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is South East?

South East scores 4 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. The typical neighbourhood in South East sits around rank 20,803 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

What is the average household income in South East?

The average household income in South East is around £63,135 per year, and 12% of homes are social housing (ONS data).

Data Sources

All data is sourced from official UK government agencies and public datasets. Last updated: 16/07/2026. Read more about how our statistics are calculated.