This claim has been around for at least 100 years, but no one quite knows where it originated. Experts agree that unless you live in a sewer, it’s categorically false.
Part of the problem is that we know little about rats’ secretive lives or how many there are.
A report by Natural England in 2018 put the British rat population at 7 million, but according to the British Pest Control Association it could be 120 million.
Whatever their number, British rats are not evenly dispersed. They’re completely absent from parts of the Scottish Highlands and you’re unlikely to be near one in the middle of the English countryside unless you’re near a barn.
Rats are commensal, meaning they live near humans and their next easy meal. Even in urban environments, like London, it’s tricky to know how many rats are scurrying about.
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In 2012, Dave Cowan, who led the wildlife programme at the Food and Environment Research Agency, told the BBC that about 3.5 million rats live in UK cities.
Meanwhile, some exterminators (who admittedly have a vested interest) claim the capital has almost 20 million of the rodents.
Let’s assume the worst. If London, with an area of 1,572km2 (607 miles2), had 20 million evenly dispersed rats, each one would have 78.6m2 to itself, meaning you’d likely be within 5m (16.4ft) of a rat.
With the more conservative estimate of 3 million, your nearest rat would be around 13m (42ft) away.
Take heart though: the myth that New York City has a rat for each of the 8.5 million people living there was roundly debunked in 2023, when a study found that the Big Apple contained no more than 3 million rats, or approximately one for every three residents.
Again, rats are not dispersed evenly. They congregate where food is available (near bins, restaurants or markets) and foot traffic is low (sewers, abandoned buildings or construction sites).
They rarely climb above the first floor or stray more than 200m (650ft) from where they’re born, so you can easily find spots free from the whiskered wanderers.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Esther Lamb, Worthing) 'Is it true you’re always within 6 feet of a rat?'
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