Greater London tops the ranking, with 30% of homes privately rented, ahead of Bristol and Cardiff. The full ranking is below, each entry linked to its page.

# County Private rent
1 Greater London 30%
2 Bristol 26%
3 Cardiff 24%
4 East Sussex 24%
5 Berkshire 21%
6 Cambridgeshire 21%
7 Ceredigion 21%
8 Devon 21%
9 Dorset 21%
10 Greater Manchester 21%
11 Isle of Wight 21%
12 West Yorkshire 21%
13 Bedfordshire 20%
14 Cornwall 20%
15 Denbighshire 20%
16 East Riding of Yorkshire 20%
17 Lancashire 20%
18 Lincolnshire 20%
19 Merseyside 20%
20 Nottinghamshire 20%
21 Oxfordshire 20%
22 West Midlands 20%
23 Conwy 19%
24 Herefordshire 19%
25 Kent 19%
26 Leicestershire 19%
27 Norfolk 19%
28 North Yorkshire 19%
29 Northamptonshire 19%
30 Scottish Borders 19%
31 Shropshire 19%
32 Suffolk 19%
33 Buckinghamshire 18%
34 County Durham 18%
35 Gwynedd 18%
36 Hampshire 18%
37 Powys 18%
38 Rhondda Cynon Taf 18%
39 Rutland 18%
40 Somerset 18%
41 South Yorkshire 18%
42 Swansea 18%
43 West Sussex 18%
44 Wiltshire 18%
45 Essex 17%
46 Gloucestershire 17%
47 Hertfordshire 17%
48 Newport 17%
49 Northumberland 17%
50 Pembrokeshire 17%
51 Surrey 17%
52 Tyne and Wear 17%
53 Warwickshire 17%
54 Blaenau Gwent 16%
55 Cumbria 16%
56 Derbyshire 16%
57 Isle of Anglesey 16%
58 Staffordshire 16%
59 The Vale of Glamorgan 16%
60 Wrexham 16%
61 Bridgend 15%
62 Carmarthenshire 15%
63 Cheshire 15%
64 Merthyr Tydfil 15%
65 Worcestershire 15%
66 Caerphilly 14%
67 Flintshire 14%
68 Monmouthshire 14%
69 Neath Port Talbot 14%
70 Torfaen 11%

Source: ONS Census 2021. Compiled by Postcodes UK.

Frequently asked questions

Which UK county has the most private renters?

Greater London tops the list, with 30% of homes privately rented, followed by Bristol and Cardiff.

How is this ranking measured?

This ranking is based on ONS Census 2021. It covers the ceremonial counties of England and the council and principal areas of Scotland and Wales.