London Borough of Tower Hamlets

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans the traditional East End of London and much of the regenerated London Docklands area, including Canary Wharf, one of the world's largest central business districts. The 2019 mid-year population for the borough is estimated at 324,745.

The borough was formed in 1965 by merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally an alternative name for the historic Tower Division; the area of south-east Middlesex, focused on (but not limited to) the area of the modern borough, which owed military service to the Tower of London, is located in the borough, adjacent to its western boundary with the City of London. Historically, Tower Hamlets is well known for the Whitechapel serial killings attributed to Jack the Ripper, which drew intense crime studies. The events later helped to push the government to pass the Housing of the Working Classes Act and the Public Health (London) Act 1891 which later improved housing and urban living conditions.

Canary Wharf, the borough's metropolitan centre, serves as one of the most important clusters of financial and banking services in the world and occupies some of the major global financial and legal corporations as well a complex of the UK Government. Queen Mary, University of London, Bow Creek Lighthouse, London's only surviving lighthouse, and part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are also within Tower Hamlets.

Demographically, the borough has a large population of British Bangladeshis, forming the largest single ethnic group in the borough at 32%. The 2011 census showed that the borough had the highest proportion of Muslims of any English local authority and was the only location where Islam outnumbered Christianity. The borough has fifty mosques and many madrasahs, including the East London Mosque, the country's largest. Whitechapel restaurants, neighbouring street market and shops provide the largest range of Bangladeshi cuisine, woodwork, carpets and clothes in Europe. Brick Lane is also a major centre of hipster subculture.

The local authority is Tower Hamlets London Borough Council. In 2017, a joint study by Trust for London and New Policy Institute found the borough to be the 2nd most deprived London borough based on an average calculated across a range of indicators; with high rates of child poverty, unemployment and pay inequality compared to other London boroughs. However, it has the lowest gap for educational outcomes at secondary level. Between 2014 and 2024, Tower Hamlets saw the completion of 71 skyscrapers, more than any other English council.