Property website Rightmove has published its annual Happy at Home Index, which surveys thousands of residents across 200 locations to find the happiest places in the country.
The 2025 index reveals that Barking and Dagenham is the saddest place to live in the entire country, ranking last out of 220 areas included in the study.
Barking and Dagenham is joined at the bottom of the happiness table by two other east London boroughs: Newham at 219th and Havering at 218th.
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This also makes all three the most miserable boroughs in the capital.
Barking and Dagenham has seen its national ranking drop since last year’s Rightmove survey, when it was the third unhappiest place in the country.
The happiest east London borough, according to Rightmove, is Tower Hamlets – placing 9th in the capital – closely followed by Waltham Forest at 12.
Now in its 14th year, the Happy at Home Index asks residents what they love or don’t love about their communities, with many valuing safety, a sense of belonging and access to green spaces and essential services.
This year’s study also found that 18 to 24 year olds were the least likely to say they felt happy where they live, with happiness increasing through the age brackets.
