Outer London

Region: London

Country: England

Outer London is a term used to describe the suburban and less densely developed parts of the Greater London region, forming a ring of 20 boroughs that surround Inner London and the small but historic City of London at the centre. While the City of London represents the original medieval core of just over one square mile, and Inner London includes 12 surrounding central boroughs known for their dense population, historic institutions, and global economic importance, Outer London refers to areas such as Croydon, Barnet, Bromley, Ealing, and Hillingdon, which expanded rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries with the growth of railways, roads, and post-war housing. These boroughs are generally more suburban in character, with a greater mix of residential neighbourhoods, commercial centres, green spaces, and commuter links into central London. Together, Inner and Outer London make up the 32 boroughs of Greater London, which, along with the City of London, forms the full London region.

Local Authorities in Outer London

• The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Barnet (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Bexley (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Brent (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Bromley (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Croydon (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Ealing (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Enfield (London Borough)
• Royal Borough of Greenwich (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Harrow (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Havering (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Hillingdon (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Hounslow (London Borough)
• Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Merton (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Redbridge (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Sutton (London Borough)
• The London Borough of Waltham Forest (London Borough)

Legally, under the 1965 Greater London Act, Inner London was set as the 12 boroughs of the old County of London plus Greenwich, leaving Newham and Haringey in Outer London. However, the Mayor’s London Plan later classed Newham as Inner London to reflect its dense, urban character, while Greenwich stayed Inner. The Office for National Statistics takes a different approach, using socio-economic and demographic patterns: it counts Newham and Haringey as Inner London but moves Greenwich to Outer London because much of it is more suburban in nature. In short, Greenwich is legally Inner London but sometimes treated as Outer, while Newham and Haringey are legally Outer but often reclassified as Inner for planning or statistical purposes.

Districts in Outer London

• Barking and Dagenham
• Barnet
• Bexley
• Brent
• Bromley
• Croydon
• Ealing
• Enfield
• Greenwich
• Harrow
• Havering
• Hillingdon
• Hounslow
• Kingston upon Thames
• Merton
• Redbridge
• Richmond upon Thames
• Sutton
• Waltham Forest

Constituencies in Outer London

A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 0 of them are in Outer London.