Croydon
§ This page gives an overview of the Croydon local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Croydon is a large and economically important borough in South London, known for its modern business district, retail centres, and transport links. It is undergoing major redevelopment, with a growing arts scene and cultural quarter.
The administrative boundary of Croydon can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Croydon.
Key Facts about Croydon
What region is Croydon in? Croydon is in the Greater London, an administrative region and a ceremonial county in England.
Is Croydon a city? No, Croydon is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Croydon? The local government for this district is: The London Borough of Croydon (London Borough).
▶ Official website of The London Borough of Croydon 🔗 croydon.gov.uk
Which police force covers Croydon? Policing in Croydon is provided by Metropolitan Police Service 🔗 met.police.uk, which serves 32 London Boroughs.
Croydon in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Croydon is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) London
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Outer London - South
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Croydon
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Croydon
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, 75 of them are in Greater London (covering 32 London boroughs). We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Croydon
Croydon is divided into 28 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Addiscombe East
- Addiscombe West
- Bensham Manor
- Broad Green
- Coulsdon Town
- Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood
- Fairfield
- Kenley
- New Addington North
- New Addington South
- Norbury & Pollards Hill
- Norbury Park
- Old Coulsdon
- Park Hill & Whitgift
- Purley & Woodcote
- Purley Oaks & Riddlesdown
- Sanderstead
- Selhurst
- Selsdon & Addington Village
- Selsdon Vale & Forestdale
- Shirley North
- Shirley South
- South Croydon
- South Norwood
- Thornton Heath
- Waddon
- West Thornton
- Woodside
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Croydon
Croydon is entirely unparished—there are no civil parishes in this local authority district.
Parishes are the lowest tier of local government; where they don’t exist, those very local services and representation sit directly with the principal council.
Built-up Areas in Croydon
Croydon covers 8 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bromley *
- Caterham *
- Chaldon *
- Chipstead and Woodmansterne *
- Croydon *
- Merton *
- Warlingham *
- Whyteleafe *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Croydon.)
Croydon compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Croydon compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Croydon has 28 electoral wards.
Croydon has a population of 409,342 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Croydon can be found on the ONS statistics for Croydon.