UK Counties and Unitary Authorities Boundaries for 2025

Ordnance Survey and ONS provide digital vector boundaries for UK Counties and Unitary Authorities as of December 2025. The dataset includes full-resolution (BFE) boundaries, which typically follow the Mean Low Water mark but can extend to include offshore islands. It is available via multiple geospatial web services and file formats.

Use Cases

• Creating thematic maps for regional policy analysis based on official administrative units.
• Performing spatial joins for demographic or economic data using the vector boundaries.
• Developing location-based services that require accurate county-level geographic filters.
• Constitutional or historical analysis of UK administrative geography using the specified boundary definitions.

Strengths

• Contains intellectual property from two authoritative UK sources: Ordnance Survey and the Office for National Statistics.
• Provides full-resolution (BFE) boundaries, offering a detailed geographic extent.
• Available on multiple data platforms, indicating established use and official status.

Limitations

• Column names and attribute schema are not detailed in the provided metadata.
• Sources list different reference years (2025 and 2022), creating ambiguity about the definitive version.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific license terms are not provided.

Provenance

Source

Ordnance Survey and Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Collection Method

Official digital vector boundary production.

Time Range

As of December 2025 (with a conflicting reference to December 2022).

Freshness

2026-05-13 18:04:06.141376

Geography

United Kingdom, including offshore islands.