London’s pub decline
In 2001, London had 4,835 pubs and bars. By 2024, there were 3,525, a decline of 27%. The change was far from even: 32 of London’s 33 boroughs lost pubs. One went the other way.
32 boroughs lost pubs. Hackney gained them.
Change in public house and bar workplaces, 2001–2024
Hackney is the only London borough with more pubs in 2024 than in 2001, rising from 155 to 205, an increase of 32%. At the other end of the map, Newham fell from 105 to 45 pubs, down 57%; Barking and Dagenham from 45 to 20, down 56%; and Croydon from 165 to 80, down 52%.
Most of the decline happened before 2014
Across London, the number of pubs fell from 4,835 in 2001 to 3,615 in 2014. By 2024, it had fallen only slightly further, to 3,525. Of the total net decline of 1,310 pubs since 2001, 1,220 had already happened by 2014.
Small pubs halved while larger ones grew
The decline was concentrated among smaller establishments. London had 3,390 pubs with fewer than 10 employees in 2001, compared with 1,675 in 2024, a fall of 51%. Over the same period, the number of pubs with 10 or more employees increased from 1,450 to 1,850.
Data and methodology: Office for National Statistics, Inter-Departmental Business Register. Workplace counts are rounded to the nearest five.
References
- OPublic houses and bars, London boroughs, 2001 to 2024. Office for National Statistics.
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