121.
The postcode area is the largest geographical unit used and forms the initial characters of the alphanumeric UK postcode. There are currently 121 geographic postcode areas in use in the UK and a further three often combined with these covering the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and Isle of Man.
How many UK postcodes are there in the UK?
1.8 million postcodes
There are approximately 1.8 million postcodes in the UK and approximately 30 million individual postal addresses. Each separate postcode usually identifies the address to within 80 properties (with an average of 15 properties per postcode), although large businesses may have a unique code.
What is a postcode area in UK?
What is a Postcode Area? A postcode area is the geographical unit and forms the initial characters of the alphanumeric UK postcode. There is a total of 124 postcode areas in the UK. To learn about the UK postcode format, read our guide on postcode components.
What is the biggest UK postcode?
The UK postcode consists of five to seven alphanumeric characters which define four different levels of geographic unit. CH5 3QW has the longest addresses in terms of numbers of elements.
What is the smallest postcode in the UK?
WC in London is the smallest postcode area in Britain, covering just 1 square mile. The largess is IV, Inverness, which covers 6,243 square miles.
How many postcode sectors are there?
There can be up to 10 different sectors within a postcode district and these are numbered 0-9. The sector information is used by the Royal Mail to define the local area delivery office that the post should be distributed to.
Is every postcode in the UK unique?
They vary from representing one address to hundreds, it’s not really consistent. It does seem strange that postcodes are not unique to addresses but they were originally just zones intended to help routing.
How big is a postcode sector?
The postcode sector is made up of the postcode district, the single space, and the first character of the inward code. It is between four and six characters long (including the single space). Examples of postcode sectors: SW1W 0.
What are the richest postcodes in UK?
OX2 in the South East is the priciest postcode outside of London. Walton Manor and Summertown, to the north of Oxford, has an average property value of £836 per square foot. RH5 (Leith Hill) in the Mole Valley is also up there (£709 psf), as is GU5 (Shamley Green) in the Surrey Hills (£686 psf).
What is the first postcode in the UK?
The first postcodes were introduced on a trial basis in Norwich in 1959 with the first three characters of the code (‘NOR’) representing the name of the city, and the last three characters a particular street.
How many houses does a UK postcode cover?
Except for very large building or very remote buildings postcodes will usually cover about 20 or so houses on one side of a street or road however they will usually have the same ‘AB12’ first part. In some areas a short road or street with not many houses may well have the same postcode.
Which country has no postcode?
Aruba, Bahamas, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga and many others have no ZIP codes. Very little island countries never needed ZIP codes. Some little countries use postal codes from country around, for example San Marino and Vatican city use Italy postal code system.
Why is there no North East London postcode?
In regard to the reason why NE is not a London postcode. Essex (NE) was not originally part of London, it only became part of the London Borough of Redbridge about 50 years ago.
Does the space in a postcode matter?
Postcodes should always be in BLOCK CAPITALS as the last line of an address. Do not underline the postcode or use any punctuation. Leave a clear space of one character between the two parts of the postcode and do not join the characters in any way.
How are UK postcodes allocated?
It is a hierarchical system, working from left to right — the first letter or pair of letters represents the area, the following digit or digits represent the district within that area, and so on. Each postcode generally represents a street, part of a street, or a single premises.
Do postcode areas change?
Postcode boundaries are subject to continuous change due to new addresses, single addresses acquiring large user postcodes as mail volume increases, and the need to restrict the number of addresses per unit to less than 100.
How is a UK postcode made up?
The structure of a postcode is two alphanumeric codes that show, first, the Post Town and, second, a small group of addresses in that post town. The first alphanumeric code (the Outward code or Outcode) has between two and four characters and the second (the Inward Code or Incode) always has three characters.
Can two places have the same postcode?
When looking at postal codes around the world, there are cases where two different cities are served by the same postal code. For example, the zip code 94608 in California is used for both Emeryville and parts of Oakland.
Can 1 street have 2 postcodes?
Some longer streets have multiple (or many) postcodes. You will seldom find a postcode that covers more than a block or two.
Which postcode has won the most?
The Postcode Lottery’s luckiest postcode is Exeter’s ‘EX’ address, with 454 wins among a population of 547,511 people. This is around 82.9 wins for every 100,000.
What does DN mean in postcode?
Doncaster postcode area
The DN postcode area, also known as the Doncaster postcode area, is a group of 32 postcode districts in England, which are subdivisions of 13 post towns.