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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Patrick Butler Social policy editor

Record number of rough sleepers in England last year, official figures show

Tents besiide a road in London in December 2025
Charities believe the official figures underestimate the scale of the nation’s homelessness crisis. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Record numbers of people slept rough on the streets of England last year, according to the latest official statistics.

An estimated 4,793 people spent the night in tents, doorways and parks on a single night in autumn 2025, up 3% year on year, and overtaking the previous peak of 4,751 in 2017, though charities believe these figures underestimate the scale of the nation’s homelessness crisis.

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