They also represent the second largest category of foreign homeowners in London, which holds the highest number of internationally owned properties – at 68,729 or 33.9% of the overall total.

Malaysians hold the sixth position across England and Wales with 9,936 properties, or 4.9% of the overall count. They lead the pack in both the East Midlands and the East of England.

Singapore and Malaysia are the sole two Southeast Asian nations in the top 10.

The report monitors the count of homes registered with the Land Registry using an overseas correspondence address. The aggregate total across the two U.K. nations increased slightly by 0.02% from the previous year, according to the U.K. newspaper Daily Express.

Hong Kong purchasers make up the largest segment of foreign homeowners across England and Wales, constituting 13.8% of foreign-held properties. They also lead in several regions, including London, the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, as well as the West Midlands.

A twilight vista from the South Bank showcases the City of London's financial area, Dec. 25, 2025. Photo by Michael Nguyen via Reuters.

The U.S. (6.8%), the UAE (5.9%), and China (5.8%) completed the top five. The remainder of the top 10 includes Ireland (4.6%), Australia (4.5%), Kuwait (3.9%), and Saudi Arabia (3.5%), according to U.K.-based publication Property Soup.

Last November, the yearly growth rate of house prices in the U.K. climbed to 2.5% from 1.9% the previous month, marking the first increase in five months.

This indicates a stabilizing housing market, with real estate agents becoming increasingly optimistic about the prospects this year, as reported by Bloomberg.

In London, house prices increased in November for the first time in seven months, rising 1% to £553,700 (US$742,150), as stated by the Office for National Statistics.

The city remains the only area seeing a decline year-over-year, but the rate of decline diminished to 1.2%, the mildest since August.