Barking and Dagenham has been named the least friendly – and technically the loneliest – place to live in London, according to the government survey The National Conversation. The borough came last out of all London boroughs and 296th out of 296 local authorities across England, receiving an overall connection score of just eight out of 100.
Key factors behind the low score
A major factor was that 10.1% of locals report more frequent loneliness than almost anywhere in England, where the average is 6.6%. Just 42.8% of residents were proud to live in Barking and Dagenham, lower than the 59.7% England average, and only 21.1% felt they could trust their neighbours. Even less, 10.9%, admitted to formally volunteering at least once a month in their local community.
This isn't the first blow for the borough. It was branded the 'least happy' in London after coming in 33rd place, according to Rightmove's Happy At Home Index for 2025.
History and regeneration
Things weren't, and hopefully won't always be, so bleak. In the middle of the 19th century, Barking was Britain's most important fishing port. In 2021, the nation's biggest wholesale fish market, Billingsgate, moved in alongside New Smithfields and Spitalfields. The relocation of these iconic markets has slowly led the way towards a total transformation of the area, alongside the addition of the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier and the opening of an Overground station in 2022.
Things are also on the up in Dagenham, as Crowlands Heath Golf Course is set to be demolished to make way for 1,300 new homes, accompanied by new infrastructure and sports facilities. The plans cover approximately 24.13 hectares of land that straddles the boundary between Havering Council and Barking and Dagenham. There's also Barking Riverside, a development delivered as a joint project by L&Q and the Mayor of London, which saw the construction of more than 2,000 new homes amid 443 acres of green space. According to one report, 41% of these are affordable, meaning they're offered at below market value.
Socio-economic challenges and local views
Barking and Dagenham has some of the worst socio-economic challenges in London. According to the 2021 Census, 46,100 households in the borough (62.4%) were deprived in at least one of the following areas: education, employment, health and housing. These statistics place Barking and Dagenham as having the most deprivation not just in London, but across the whole of England. According to the Indices of Deprivation 2025, it's more deprived than 87% of England's local authorities.
Local @Leodome said over in the r/HousingUK Subreddit that while 'most of Barking town centre is shabby,' it's 'aesthetically not bad, consisting mostly of pre-1960s redbrick buildings.' 'The station is hideous, but the transport links are excellent. The market area is really lively, and the water isn't far, which is a very nice bonus that most areas of London don't have,' they penned. Meanwhile, @donald_cheese has lived there for five years and previously said that while it has its flaws, it's got 'excellent transport links and buses.' 'There are usually loads of people milling about. Loads of really good kebabs,' they wrote.
Housing and property market
According to Rightmove, the average house price in Barking and Dagenham over the past year is £428,908, considerably below the London average of £658,016. Last year, the IG11 postcode was identified as the cheapest postcode in the capital for property, while £59,600 was revealed as the salary needed to buy a house in the borough – one of the lowest in London. House prices in Dagenham over the last year were 17% up on the previous year and 16% up on the 2023 peak of £369,789.
The National Conversation's study ranked all London boroughs from most to least friendly, with Richmond upon Thames at 91/100 and Barking and Dagenham at 8/100.
