• Home /
  • Postcode Directory

UK Data Service Postcode Directory Download

A postcode directory is a dataset that provides information about current and historic UK postcodes, such as the location of each postcode, together with details of the other geographies that given postcodes are located within. Using a postcode directory dataset therefore provides a means by which events or occurrences (such as disease, crimes, or customer residence etc) that are recorded by postcode can be located and linked from postcode to another geography such as a census or electoral geography.

The UK Data Service holds versions of postcode directory datasets supplied by ONS that were first released back in 1980 as annual directories, through the decades since, to the latest version of the ONS ONSPD postcode directory dataset which ONS updates every 3 months to track real world change in the UK postcode system.

All quarterly postcode directories that have been released by ONS, from May 2011 onwards are distributed under a UK Open Government License and can be downloaded below. Clicking on each of the links below will take you to a page where you can download the complete Postcode Directory – this dataset which will include a record for every postcode in the UK and can be quite large!. A PDF User Guide providing information on what fields are included in the specific version of the postcode dataset is also provided.

As a complete dataset, these UK wide postcode directories contain millions of records across tens of columns. If you want to be more selective about which records and fields to download from a given postcode directory version, then as an alternative, the UK Data Service Postcode Data Selector tool can be used. In addition, the Postcode Data Selector can also be used to add lookups to many other geographies held by the UK Data Service that are not included as standard lookups in the postcode directories provided by ONS. To access the Postcode Data Selector tool use the Postcode Data Selector button from the Quick Access menu at the upper left of this page.

Complete UK wide ONS Quarterly Postcode Directories available to download:

Year/Quarter: February May August November
2025 Available Available Available
2024 Available Available Available Available
2023 Available Available Available Available
2022 Available Available Available Available
2021 Available Available Available Available
2020 Available Available Available Available
2019 Available Available Available Available
2018 Available Available Available Available
2017 Available Available Available Available
2016 Available Available Available Available
2015 Available Available Available Available
2014 Available Available Available Available
2013 Available Available Available Available
2012 Available Available Available Available
2011 Available Available Available
2010 Available Available Available Available
2009 Available Available Available Available
2008 Available Available Available Available
2007 Available Available Available Available
2006 Available Available Available Available
2005 Available Available Available Available
2004 Available Available Available Available
2003 Available
2002 Available
2001 Available Available

Annual Directories

2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991
1990 1989 not available 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980
Access to pre May 2011 postcode directories held by the UK Data Service

The UK Data Service holds ONS postcode directories that were released before May 2011. This includes pre-2011 versions of the ONS ONSPD which included fields from the Royal Mail Address File (PAF) such as business and address counts. However, because these pre May 2011 versions of the postcode directories are not available under an Open Government License, the UK Data Service is unable to make these pre May 2011 versions of the postcode directories available for download here or to make them available for download through the UK Data Service Postcode Data Selector tool in the same way as we do for the OGL licensed postcode directories released after May 2011.

These pre May 2011 postcode directories can still be supplied to legitimate UK Data Service users, however the legacy licensing associated with these older postcode directories restricts their download to UK Data Service users (Students or Researchers) who are associated with a UK Educational Institution. If you are such a user and you want access to these older pre May 2011 ONS postcode directories, then please raise a support call with the UK Data Service helddesk indicating what pre May 2011 postcode directories you would like access to and we will get back to you to provide you with details on how to access them.

The UK Data Service holds annual versions of historic ONS postcodes directories from 1980 to 2000 and quarterly versions from February 2001 through to November 2010.