Brent (ⁱ/brɛnt/) is a borough located in north-west London, England. It's famous for places like Wembley Stadium, the beautiful Swaminarayan Temple, and the Kiln Theatre. You can also find the Welsh Harp reservoir and the Park Royal business area here. The local government is called Brent London Borough Council.

In 2021, Brent had about 339,800 people living there. Some of its main areas are Kilburn, Willesden, Wembley, and Harlesden. Smaller areas include Stonebridge, Kingsbury, Kensal Green, Neasden, and Queen's Park. Brent has a mix of homes, factories, and shops. The eastern parts feel more like a busy city, while the western parts are more like quiet suburban neighborhoods.

How Brent is Governed

Brent is run by the Brent Council. Their main office is at the Brent Civic Centre in Wembley Park.

Representing Brent in London

Since the year 2000, Brent has been part of the Brent and Harrow area for elections to the London Assembly. This group helps make decisions for all of London.

Brent's UK Parliament Members

The borough has three areas that elect members to the UK Parliament. These are Brent North, Brent Central, and Hampstead and Kilburn. Part of Hampstead and Kilburn is also in the London Borough of Camden.

Who Lives in Brent?

Population pyramid of the Borough of Brent in 2021

Population
Year	Pop.	±%
1801	2,022	—
1811	2,690	+33.0%
1821	3,074	+14.3%
1831	3,991	+29.8%
1841	5,416	+35.7%
1851	5,646	+4.2%
1861	14,749	+161.2%
1871	23,852	+61.7%
1881	32,955	+38.2%
1891	67,674	+105.4%
1901	105,613	+56.1%
1911	164,833	+56.1%
1921	202,448	+22.8%
1931	248,656	+22.8%
1941	277,842	+11.7%
1951	310,457	+11.7%
1961	294,804	−5.0%
1971	280,009	−5.0%
1981	251,249	−10.3%
1991	248,569	−1.1%
2001	263,463	+6.0%
2011	311,215	+18.1%
Source: A Vision of Britain through time

In 1801, only about 2,022 people lived in the areas that now make up Brent. This number slowly grew. When railways arrived, more people moved in. The population grew a lot, especially in the 1950s, as new homes were built.

Brent is known for being very diverse. In 2019, over half of its residents (52%) were born outside the UK. Many people from Asian, Indian, Black African, Black Caribbean, Irish, and Eastern European backgrounds live here. In 1991, 45% of the population was from a minority ethnic group.

The 2001 UK Census showed that Brent had 263,464 residents. About 47.71% were Christian, 17.71% were Hindu, and 12.26% were Muslim. Around 10% said they had no religion.

The 2021 census found that Brent has the lowest number of people born in the UK in England and Wales, at 43.9%.

Ethnic Backgrounds in Brent

Ethnic makeup of Brent by single year ages in 2021

Brent is very diverse, and its population has changed a lot since 1951. In the 2011 census, only 18% of people identified as White British. About 33% were of South Asian heritage, and 19% were of African and Caribbean heritage.

Some areas like Wembley Central have a very high percentage of people from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, as high as 86%. Queen's Park had the lowest BAME percentage at 37.0%.

Brent has the highest number of Irish residents in Britain, making up 4% of the population. It also has the largest Brazilian community in the UK. There are also many Indian, Afro-Caribbean, Romanian, Polish, and Somali communities.

Religious Beliefs in Brent

As of 2011, 41.5% of people in Brent said they were Christian. 18.6% were Muslim, 17.8% were Hindu, and 10.6% had no religion. Brent is home to the Neasden Temple, which was once the largest Hindu temple outside India. It also has JFS, the biggest Jewish school in Europe, and Islamia Primary School, an Islamic school started by Cat Stevens.

The table below shows the religious identity of people living in Brent from 2001 to 2021.

Religion	2001 census		2011 census		2021 census
Religion	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Christian	125,702	47.7	129,080	41.5	131,914	38.8
Muslim	32,290	12.3	58,036	18.6	72,574	21.4
Jewish	6,464	2.5	4,357	1.4	3,723	1.1
Hindu	45,228	17.2	55,449	17.8	52,876	15.6
Sikh	1,738	0.7	1,709	0.5	1,530	0.5
Buddhism	2,497	0.9	4,300	1.4	3,117	0.9
Other religion	2,977	1.1	3,768	1.2	4,424	1.3
No religion	26,252	10.0	33,054	10.6	46,153	13.6
Religion not stated	20,316	7.7	21,462	6.9	23,506	6.9
Total	263,464	100.00%	311,215	100.00%	339,800	100.0%

Ethnic Groups in Brent

This table shows the ethnic groups of people living in Brent from 1991 to 2021.

Ethnic Group	Year
	1991 census		2001 census		2011 census		2021 census
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%

White: Total	136,150	54.8%	119,278	45.27%	112,880	36.27%	117,701	34.6%
White: British	–	–	76,893	29.19%	55,887	17.96%	51,611	15.2%
White: Irish	–	–	18,313	6.95%	12,320	3.96%	9,314	2.7%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller	–	–	–	–	320	0.10%	237	0.1%
White: Roma							2,520	0.7%
White: Other	–	–	24,072	9.14%	44,353	14.25%	54,019	15.9%
Asian or Asian British: Total	63,141	25.4%	75,874	28.80%	105,986	34.06%	111,515	32.8%
Asian or Asian British: Indian	43,230	17.4%	48,624	18.46%	58,017	18.64%	66,157	19.5%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani	7,565	3%	10,626	4.03%	14,381	4.62%	15,217	4.5%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi	758		1,184	0.45%	1,749	0.56%	2,186	0.6%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese	2,641		2,812	1.07%	3,250	1.04%	3,393	1.0%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian	8,947	3.6%	12,628	4.79%	28,589	9.19%	24,562	7.2%
Black or Black British: Total	41,467	16.7%	52,337	19.86%	58,632	18.84%	59,495	17.5%
Black or Black British: African	10,305	4.1%	20,640	7.83%	24,391	7.84%	31,070	9.1%
Black or Black British: Caribbean	25,618	10.3%	27,574	10.47%	23,723	7.62%	21,258	6.3%
Black or Black British: Other Black	5,544	2.2%	4,123	1.56%	10,518	3.38%	7,167	2.1%
Mixed or British Mixed: Total	–	–	9,802	3.72%	15,775	5.07%	17,249	5.1%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean	–	–	2,739	1.04%	4,291	1.38%	3,775	1.1%
Mixed: White and Black African	–	–	1,739	0.66%	2,820	0.91%	3,184	0.9%
Mixed: White and Asian	–	–	2,529	0.96%	3,642	1.17%	3,607	1.1%
Mixed: Other Mixed	–	–	2,795	1.06%	5,022	1.61%	6,683	2.0%
Other: Total	7,842	3.2%	6,173	2.34%	17,942	5.77%	33,861	10%
Other: Arab	–	–	–	–	11,430	3.67%	17,924	5.3%
Other: Any other ethnic group	–	–	–	6,512	2.09%	15,937	4.7%
Ethnic minority: Total	112,450	45.2%	144,186	54.73%	198,335	63.73%	222,120	65.4%

Total	248,600	100%	263,464	100.00%	311,215	100.00%	339,821	100%

Brent's Geography and Climate

The main areas in Brent include Kilburn, Willesden, and Wembley.

Brent's Weather Patterns

Brent has a mild climate. This means there aren't huge differences between hot and cold temperatures. It also gets a good amount of rain all year. This type of weather is called a "Marine West Coast Climate" or "Oceanic climate".

Climate data for Borough of Brent, UK
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	8 (46)	8 (46)	10 (50)	12 (54)	15 (59)	17 (63)	19 (66)	19 (66)	17 (63)	14 (57)	11 (52)	8 (46)	13 (55)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	3 (37)	3 (37)	4 (39)	5 (41)	8 (46)	10 (50)	12 (54)	12 (54)	10 (50)	8 (46)	6 (43)	4 (39)	7 (45)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	130 (5.2)	110 (4.3)	79 (3.1)	84 (3.3)	79 (3.1)	64 (2.5)	76 (3)	89 (3.5)	89 (3.5)	140 (5.7)	150 (5.9)	150 (6.1)	1,250 (49.4)
Source: Weatherbase

Brent's Economy

Brent has a higher rate of poverty compared to many other London boroughs. In 2022, it had the highest average unemployment rate in London, at 7%. More than one in three homes in Brent experience poverty.

Diageo, a large company, has its main office in Park Royal in Brent. This office is on the site of a former Guinness brewery.

Life and Culture in Brent

The old Brent Town Hall

The new Brent Civic Centre

Schools in Brent

Brent has many schools for children of all ages.

Recycling Rules

Since 2008, recycling has been a must-do in Brent. Everyone is expected to recycle their waste.

Fire Safety in Brent

Brent has three fire stations: Park Royal, Wembley, and Willesden. These stations help keep the community safe. Wembley National Stadium is in the borough. On event days, the fire service is responsible for the safety of over 90,000 people there.

Getting Around Brent

Like much of northwest London, Brent has many London Underground (Tube) stations. There are 21 Tube stations in Brent. They are served by the Metropolitan, Jubilee, Bakerloo, or Piccadilly Lines. Most are above ground, except for Kilburn Park station. Brent has the second-highest number of Tube stations in all London boroughs.

The borough also has many London Overground and National Rail train stations. These include:

Alperton tube station
Brondesbury railway station
Brondesbury Park railway station
Dollis Hill tube station
Harlesden station
Kensal Green station
Kenton station
Kilburn tube station
Kilburn Park tube station
Kingsbury tube station
Neasden tube station
North Wembley station
Northwick Park tube station
Preston Road tube station
Queensbury tube station
Queen's Park station
South Kenton station
Stonebridge Park station
Sudbury Town tube station
Sudbury & Harrow Road railway station
Wembley Central station
Wembley Park tube station
Wembley Stadium railway station
Willesden Green tube station
Willesden Junction station

How People Travel to Work

In March 2011, many residents aged 16–74 were not working. For those who did work, the most common ways to travel were:

Tube, metro, light rail, or tram (18.3%)
Driving a car or van (17.4%)
Bus, minibus, or coach (11.5%)
Walking (4.6%)
Train (4.5%)
Working from home (2.6%)
Cycling (1.7%)

Famous Places in Brent

Wembley Stadium
Wembley Arena
Neasden Temple
Jubilee clock in Harlesden
Brent Civic Centre
Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Kingsbury

Parks and Green Spaces

Brent has many lovely parks and open areas where people can relax and play. Some of these include:

Roe Green Park
Fryent Country Park
Queen's Park
Roundwood Park
Tiverton Green
Gladstone Park
Barham Park
One Tree Hill Park
Maybank Open Space
King Edward VII Park
Harlesden Town Garden

Sports and Fun Activities

The borough is home to three local football clubs:

Tokyngton Manor F.C., who play at Spratleys Meadow.
Wembley F.C., who play at Vale Farm stadium.
South Kilburn F.C., who also play at Vale Farm stadium.

Twin Towns

Brent is twinned with:

South Dublin, Leinster, Ireland

Freedom of the Borough

The "Freedom of the Borough" is a special honor given to people or groups who have done great things for Brent.

Honored Individuals

Nelson Mandela: He received this honor on June 24, 2013.

Images for kids

Population pyramid of the Borough of Brent in 2021
Ethnic makeup of Brent by single year ages in 2021
The old Brent Town Hall
The new Brent Civic Centre

London Borough of Brent facts for kids

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