London at a glance
The basics about London, plus official sources for time, weather and living costs.
- London has about 9.1 million residents (2024 figures), roughly 15.5% of the UK's population. Around 41% of Londoners were born outside the UK.
Source: State of London: London in figures — Greater London Authority ↗ - More than 300 languages are spoken in London every day, according to City Hall's State of London report.
Source: State of London: London in figures — Greater London Authority ↗ - London is run by an elected Mayor and 25-member London Assembly at City Hall, plus 33 local authorities: 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation.
Source: How we work for London — London City Hall ↗ - The UK uses Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in winter and British Summer Time (BST) in summer. Clocks go forward 1 hour on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October (29 March and 25 October in 2026).
Source: When do the clocks change? — GOV.UK ↗ - For official forecasts and weather warnings, use the Met Office forecast for London.
Source: London (Greater London) weather — Met Office ↗ - The ONS reports London has the highest private rents in the UK: an average of £2,332 a month in August 2026, up 3.5% on a year earlier.
Source: Private rent and house prices, UK — Office for National Statistics ↗
Every point links to its official source.Verified 28 Sept 2026