Homelessness Facts And Statistics: The Numbers You Need To Know In 2026

Homelessness is on the rise all around the UK. These are the rough sleeping figures and homelessness facts you need to know, reports the Big Issue.

Homelessness is a big issue affecting hundreds of thousands of people across the UK and the issue has reached critical levels around the country in 2026. The cost of living crisis and the housing crisis in the UK means more people are facing homelessness. It’s an issue that should remain at the forefront of our minds as a society, not just when World Homeless Day comes around on 10 October every year. Despite living in the world’s sixth biggest economy, people are still living with no place to call their home in this country, whether it be sleeping rough, sofa surfing or any other type of homelessness. This injustice must end.

There are ongoing efforts to end homelessness and rough sleeping. Labour has promised to buyild 1.5 million homes and pledged to invest £39bn in building social and affordable homes over the next decade. Meanwhile, a cross-government homelessness strategy was published at the end of 2025. The Scottish government has declared a housing emergency and has an emergency housing action plan to reduce homelessness, particularly among children living in temporary accommodation. The Welsh government is also focusing on more social housing to ease its own homelessness crisis and is introducing new legislation to bring a new “radical” approach to prevention. Meanwhile, London mayor Sadiq Khan promised to end rough sleeping in the city by 2030 before his re-election.

But before you can tackle a problem, you must first learn the scale of the issue. That’s why it is vital that we know the facts and figures about homelessness. Here are the numbers you need to know:

How many people are homeless in the UK?

Homelessness in England, Scotland and Wales (as well as Northern Ireland) is typically measured separately but recent analysis by the FT found that one in every 200 households in the UK is experiencing homelessness. That means the UK does not fare well against other developed countries. John Glenton, executive director of care and support at Riverside housing association, said: “Shamefully, the UK tops the global league table with by far the highest rate of homelessness in the developed world with one in 200 households living in emergency temporary housing. It is now crucial to focus on solutions and work with the government to end this national scandal and international embarrassment.”

How many people are homeless in England?

The latest official statistics show 330,410 households were owed support to prevent or relieve homelessness after contacting their council for help in 2024-25. That’s a 0.9% increase on the previous year. Record numbers of households are living in temporary accommodation in England. A total of 132,410 households were living in temporary accommodation as of June 2025 – a record-high and 7.6% higher than a year ago. The total number of children living in temporary accommodation has now reached 172,420. The official rough sleeping snapshot revealed 4,667 people were homeless on England’s streets in autumn 2024 based on single-night counts and estimates by frontline workers and local authorities. That figure represents a 20% increase in just a year and is just 2% lower than the 2017 peak when 4,751 were recorded as sleeping rough. It’s also 164% higher than in 2010 when the count began.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government also tracks rough sleeping over the course of a month in England. The data showed 9,574 people were sleeping rough through July 2025. That’s 94% higher than in July 2021 and a new post-pandemic high, according to analysis from the Centre of Social Justice. The London-only Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) figures are considered to be more accurate than the official one-night count. The most recent annual count showed 13,231 rough sleepers spotted on London’s streets between April 2024 and March 2025. That’s record high and a 10% increase on the previous year’s total as well as 63% higher than a decade ago.

How many people are homeless in Wales?

The most recent statistics showed more than 13,287 households needed support from councils due to homelessness between April 2024 and March 2025. A total of 10,876 people were living in temporary accommodation as of September 2025. An annual rough sleeping count has been scrapped in Wales as of 2024, while an estimated 160 people were sleeping rough as of September. The Welsh government is working on new legislation with the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Bill looking to move towards preventing homelessness.

How many people are homeless in Scotland?

The most recent annual statistics found there were 34,067 households classed as homeless by local authorities in 2024-25, including 38,674 adults and 15,046 children. A total of 17,240 households were living in temporary accommodation in 2024-25, up 6% from 16,330 the previous year. There were 10,180 children in temporary accommodation as of March 2025, down from 10,360 six months earlier.

The Scottish government has declared a housing emergency in the country.

Scotland doesn’t use the same method of counting rough sleeping as England and Wales. Rather than counts and estimates, statisticians rely on reports to local authorities. The number of households that reported sleeping rough the night before applying to local authorities for support rose from 1,932 to 2,465 applications between 2023-24 and 2024-25. Meanwhile, 3,058 households said they were sleeping rough in the three months prior to contacting local authorities for help.

How many women are sleeping rough in the UK?

Women are often missing from rough sleeping counts because they tend to be less visible than male rough sleepers due to the risk of violence on the streets. That means women are more likely to seek shelter in cafes, transport hubs or other places rather than bedding down outside. A coalition of homelessness and women’s organisations in London joined forces to tackle the issue in October 2022. Their first national census across England found the number of people sleeping rough could be as much as 10 times higher than the official rough sleeping count.

How does homelessness affect health?

Poor health can cause homelessness but health worsens when people lose their home. Homeless Link’s Unhealthy State of Homelessness 2025 report found 80% of people experiencing homelessness are dealing with multiple physical health issues. Chronic breathing problems, heart problems and cancer are the most diagnosed, meaning thousands of people are dealing with debilitating conditions while sleeping rough, in hostels or in unsuitable temporary accommodation. Homeless Link found nearly 60% of people experiencing homelessness and ill health receive a physical health diagnosis before becoming homeless, including in conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes and traumatic brain injuries.

The research, based on experiences of more than 700 people experiencing homelessness, found half of people sleeping rough said their health had declined over the last 12 months. Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, comments: “This new evidence that we are not preventing people who are already unwell from becoming homeless is utterly devastating. The research makes clear that homelessness is not only a housing problem, but also a health problem.”

What do people think about homelessness?

Four out of five Brits think that homelessness is a serious problem, according to an Ipsos poll for the Centre for Homelessness Impact at the end of 2024. The poll, which quizzed 2,142 people on their views on homelessness, found 70% of those surveyed agreed that homelessness doesn’t get enough attention in society. Most people – around two-thirds – believe that homelessness will increase in the UK over the next 12 months while barely a quarter think homelessness can be ended and twice as many think homelessness is inevitable. But 79% of Brits told pollsters that identifying people who might be at risk of homelessness earlier, such as in health and education, would make a difference.

Ligia Teixeira, chief executive of the Centre for Homelessness Impact, said: “These survey results highlight the pressing need for bold, preventative action to address homelessness…”

How can we end homelessness?

Homelessness is a complex issue and, as a result, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It takes effort to remove the reason why someone is homeless and also treatment for the trauma and mental toll of homelessness. More broadly, there also needs to be efforts to address the systemic drivers of homelessness and that also takes political will to focus the sufficient resources in the areas where they will make a difference. Homelessness experts, charities and organisations propose plenty of changes to how society operates to end homelessness for good.