The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Ordnance Survey (OS) have collaborated to identify high streets in Great Britain, what types of properties and businesses are on high streets as well as how the number of businesses and employment have changed in recent years.
The analysis is based on almost 7,000 unique high streets identified by Ordnance Survey with the greatest number found in London (1204) and the smallest number in the North East (276). The OS figures also show that across Great Britain over half (56%) of addresses on high streets are residential, with just under a third (31%) being used for retail.
An interactive map published on the OS website showing the location and makeup of each of these high streets is available here.
ONS figures show that the percentage of people living within 200m of a British high street is on average 16%, with London (38%) having the highest proportion of residents living near a high street and East of England (11%) having the lowest percentage.
In 2017 there were 404,145 businesses registered on high streets, 13% of all businesses in Great Britain. London had the largest share of its businesses on the high street (23%) while the East of England had the lowest share of its businesses on them (10%).
Between 2012 and 2017 the number of retail businesses on the high street fell (-2%) while those not based on the high street grew (+6%). The number of high street retail jobs fell in every GB region except London (+6%) over this period. In 2017, retail made up 25% of total high street employment, with this number being highest in the South West of England (31%) and lowest in London (18%).
The full High streets in Great Britain release is available here.