Economy of the London Borough of Croydon

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Croydon, located in Greater London, England, has a diverse economy with service and retail sectors now taking precedence over the town's historical market status.^[1]

Croydon is served by an extensive rail network centered on the East and West Croydon stations. From both stations, London Overground and Govia Thameslink operate trains to most parts of Central and Greater London, as well as Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and the East of England. With the A23, M23 and M25 orbital motorway intersecting Croydon to the South East, it is the principal gateway of the motorway network from the East Sussex area of the South Coast. London Trams, formerly known as the Croydon Tramlink, operates in many parts of Croydon and South London; in 2024, it transported 20 million passengers.^[2] The network has three main routes connecting Wimbledon, Croydon, Beckenham and New Addington. Croydon is one of only five London Boroughs that do not have any form of London Underground services.^[3]

Retail is a major service and employer in Croydon. North End is Croydon's main shopping street, with the Whitgift and Allders situated on it. The town centre includes the Surrey Street Market, one of the few remaining town centre markets in the Croydon and South London areas, and over three indoor shopping centres. The Whitgift Centre and the newest Centrale centre.

Croydon is one of the largest financial centres in the South East outside of London and is home to many legal and insurance firms. Croydon is a major office area in the south east of England, being the second largest outside of Central London.^[4] In 2024, Croydon saw a 24% increase in micro-businesses, making it the fasted growing hub for micro-businesses.^[5]

Malcolm Brabon has stated that "Croydon is home to a variety of international business communities, each with dynamic business networks, so businesses located in Croydon are in a good position to make the most of international trade and recruit from a labour force fluent in 130 languages".^[6]

In 2024, the unemployment rate in Croydon was 5.7%, compared to 5.1% for the London area and 4.3% for the rest of the United Kingdom.^[7][8]

The Croydon Community Against Trafficking campaigns against prostitution in Croydon.^[9]

The former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said he would support Croydon becoming an official city and announced £23m of additional funding to help redevelop the town at the Develop Croydon Conference on 22 November 2011. Several luxury Docklands-style apartment developments have been built in recent years, and several more are being built or planned. Saffron Square, which will include a 45-storey tower, is already under construction, and other developments with towers over 50 floors high have been given planning approval. These include a 54-storey "Menta Tower" in Cherry Orchard Road near East Croydon station, and a 55-storey tower at One Lansdowne Road; the latter, on which construction was set to begin in early 2013, is set to be Britain's tallest block of flats, as well as including office space, a 4 star hotel and a health club.^[10]