The latest Land Registry Overseas Companies Ownership Data reveals that 91,136 property titles are owned by overseas companies across England and Wales.

The overwhelming majority – 88,933, or 97.6% – are located in England.

Of the total number some 39,172 are located within Greater London, meaning the capital alone accounts for 43% of the national total.

This is more than two and a half times as many titles as the South East, where 14,919 account for 16.4% of the national total.

The North West ranks third, accounting for 11.6% of all overseas-company-owned titles, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber at 6%.

Within London itself, overseas company property ownership is most heavily concentrated within the capital’s prime central markets.

The City of Westminster alone is home to 9,666 overseas-company-owned property titles, accounting for almost a quarter (24.7%) of the London total.

Kensington and Chelsea ranks second, with 4,958 titles representing a further 12.7%.

Combined, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea account for 14,624 or 37.3% of all such ownership across the capital.

But even Tower Hamlets accounts for 5.9% of London’s overseas-company-owned titles, followed by Camden at 5.3%, Wandsworth at 5%, Lambeth at 4.4%, Southwark at 3.8% and the City of London at 3.6%.

This data relates specifically to property owned through overseas-registered companies rather than individual foreign ownership.

The analysis was undertaken by the Benham and Reeves agency which says there’s a strong international flavour to the lettings market as well, with families relocating to the UK renting before they buy.