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Living in Portsmouth

Portsmouth is a city in the United Kingdom. At the end of 2021, Portsmouth had a population of 223,305. The regional median gross salary reached €3,638 per month at the end of 2024. The unemployment rate was 4.95% at the end of 2018.

Higher unemployment than 83% of United Kingdom cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 78% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and dirtier air than any other United Kingdom city that publishes it.

Which United Kingdom-wide rules apply when you move to Portsmouth?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in United KingdomNational rates and thresholds that apply in Portsmouth.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Portsmouth yet. United Kingdom has country-level context; it is not substituted for this city.

Work and income

For Portsmouth, the employment rate was 57.2% at the end of 2021. The workforce in Portsmouth was 105,155 at the end of 2021.

What is the unemployment rate in Portsmouth?

The unemployment rate is about 5 % (2018).

  • Unemployment rate: 4.95 % · Eurostat3
Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Portsmouth is 5.0%. Of 1,007 cities with data, 657 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in United Kingdom per band24 cities: 0% to under 2%240–2657 cities: 2% to under 4%6572–4265 cities: 4% to under 6%2654–6Portsmouth 5.0%49 cities: 6% to under 8%496–87 cities: 8% to under 10%78–104 cities: 10% to under 12%410–121 city: 16% to under 18%116–18

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Employment rate57.2 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics4Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,638 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics (ONS)6Official · regional context
Unemployment rate4.95 %country median 3.4%31 Dec 2018Eurostat3Official
Unemployment rate over time11 published observations, 1991–2018
Unemployment rate in Portsmouth by year, %2.8%5.7%8.5%11.3%1991200120082011201620185.0%%

Unemployment rate fell 52.0% between 1991 and 2018, from 10.3% to 5.0%.

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Portsmouth. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Jobcentre Plus — Public employment service

Department for Work and Pensions

Job SearchUnemployment Claim
Open official service
Open the United Kingdom service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Portsmouth. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count35 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official
School Count54 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official

Safety

How safe is Portsmouth?

Police recorded about 11,426 incidents per 100,000 (2026). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: www.ons.gov.uk14

Recorded crime across major citiesPortsmouth highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Portsmouth highlighted14,267Manchester13,099Bristol12,409Liverpool11,462Leeds11,426Portsmouth11,416Birmingham11,001Leicester9,693Sheffield9,379Cardiff8,836Coventry757Glasgow549Edinburghrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents11,426 incidents per 100,000country median 9,66927 Aug 2026www.ons.gov.uk14Official

Mobility and administration

Portsmouth's nearest airport was SOU, 25 km away and offered 23 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count23 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights9Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km25 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports10Official
Nearest Major Airport IataSOU3 Aug 2026OurAirports10Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 levels for Portsmouth stood at 10 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Is the air quality good in Portsmouth?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency2

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Portsmouth average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND22°3°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Portsmouth average monthly precipitation, mm0255075100855850504348475761869193JFMAMJJASONDmm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Portsmouth annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52510.0PM2.5µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in United KingdomOf 864 cities with data, 448 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in United Kingdom per band1 city: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³13–428 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³284–5203 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³2035–6448 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³4486–7174 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³1747–88 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³88–91 city: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³19–101 city: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³113–14

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean10 µg/m³31 Dec 2019European Environment Agency2Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by monthJan 8.3 · Feb 8.6 · Mar 11 · Apr 13.7 · May 16.9 · Jun 19.7 · Jul 21.8 · Aug 21.8 · Sep 19.4 · Oct 15.6 · Nov 11.7 · Dec 9 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI11Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 2.8 · Feb 2.6 · Mar 4 · Apr 5.7 · May 8.7 · Jun 11.6 · Jul 13.6 · Aug 13.7 · Sep 11.4 · Oct 8.9 · Nov 5.6 · Dec 3.3 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI12Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 84.5 · Feb 57.7 · Mar 49.8 · Apr 49.6 · May 43.3 · Jun 48.2 · Jul 46.9 · Aug 57.2 · Sep 61.4 · Oct 86 · Nov 90.6 · Dec 92.6 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI13Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in United Kingdom

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All United Kingdom cities
Islington222,724 residentsLuton233,525 residentsWolverhampton234,025 residentsCity of Westminster209,365 residentsNorthampton243,520 residentsReading203,795 residents

Population and city profile

Portsmouth recorded a median age of 36 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Portsmouth?

The published population was 223,305 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics5

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population223,305 people31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official

International community in Portsmouth

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Usual residents living in the individual ONS Built-up Area on Census Day 21 March 2021 · 2021 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
Europe: United Kingdom187,27083.9%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)20,9209.4%
Europe: EU countries15,1156.8%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source8

Is Portsmouth a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker45%strong on work, weak on housing · range 34–56%
Skilled employee57%strong on work, weak on housing · range 48–66%
Student56%strong on education, weak on housing · range 47–65%
Family52%strong on family, weak on housing · range 43–61%
Retirement46%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 33–59%
Population223,305 people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Employment rate57.2 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Median gross salary (regional)3,638 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Unemployment rate4.95 %31 Dec 2018Official source · Eurostat
PM2.5 — annual mean10 µg/m³31 Dec 2019Official source · European Environment Agency
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents11,426 incidents per 100,00027 Aug 2026Official source · www.ons.gov.uk
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-27

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
G07 Bachelors Or Higher Share Pct29.8 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics4Official
G09 Total Workers 16plus105,155 workers31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics4Official
Median age36 years31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics4Official
Universities1 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students7Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Portsmouth under the national coverage rules.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Portsmouth?

The published population was 223,305 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Portsmouth?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency.

How safe is Portsmouth?

Police recorded about 11,426 incidents per 100,000 (2026). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the unemployment rate in Portsmouth?

The unemployment rate is about 5 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Portsmouth?

The median gross salary is 3,638 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Portsmouth a good place to live?

Portsmouth may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Europe: EU countries live in Portsmouth?

The official country of birth distribution records 15,115 people (6.8%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 14). Portsmouth, United Kingdom: salary, jobs, safety, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab; version approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/portsmouth/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_portsmouth-united-kingdom-salary-jobs-safety-climate_16fdd052dbec,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Portsmouth, United Kingdom: salary, jobs, safety, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-14},
  version = {approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab},
  snapshot = {approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/portsmouth/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Portsmouth, United Kingdom: salary, jobs, safety, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/portsmouth/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab; version approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab; retrieved 2026-09-14; built 2026-09-14.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. Department for Education (GIAS) get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  2. European Environment Agency air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  3. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  4. Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-07
  5. Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-04
  6. Office for National Statistics (ONS) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-06
  7. Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  8. ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-06
  9. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  10. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Show 4 more sources
  1. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  2. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  3. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  4. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26

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