Persistent low income
Published
- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to By ethnicity (before housing costs) section
- 4. Navigate to By ethnicity (after housing costs) section
- 5. Navigate to By ethnicity and age group (before housing costs) section
- 6. Navigate to By ethnicity and age group (after housing costs) section
- 7. Navigate to Entering low income (before and after housing costs) section
- 8. Navigate to Leaving low income (before and after housing costs) section
- 9. Navigate toData sources section
- 10. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- between 2019 and 2023, people in households in the Asian and Other ethnic groups were most likely to be in persistent low income (both 19%) before housing costs – data for the Other ethnic group is based on a smaller number of households and is less reliable as a result
- people in households in the Other ethnic group were most likely to be in persistent low income after housing costs (38%)
- people in households in the White Other ethnic group were the least likely to be in persistent low income, both before (8%) and after (10%) housing costs
- people in Black households had the biggest difference in persistent low income rates before (9%) and after (22%) housing costs
- people in households in the Other ethnic group were most likely to enter into low income, both before (16%) and after (18%) housing costs
- peop1e in households in the White Other ethnic group (48%) were most likely to leave low income before housing costs, followed by people in households in the Mixed ethnic group (45%)
- people in households in the White Other ethnic group (45%) were most likely to leave low income after housing costs, followed by people in households in the Mixed ethnic group (43%)
Further research
According to a parliamentary research report on poverty in the UK, based on the Households below average income statistics, relative low income rates were highest for people in households in the Pakistani or Bangladeshi ethnic group. Rates were lowest in White households. These figures are based on single year estimates, so may differ from measures of persistent low income which looks at low income over multiple years.
Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 2024 (PDF opens in a new window or tab) found that people in Bangladeshi, Black African and Pakistani households were around 3 times more likely to go into very deep poverty each year, with incomes far below the poverty line when compared with people in White households. People from Bangladeshi, Black African and Pakistani households were at least 3 times as likely to experience persistent very deep poverty (that is very deep poverty in at least 3 out of 4 years). Further analysis found that even after taking into account factors that affect someone’s likelihood of being pushed into very deep poverty, including family structure, work and housing situations, Bangladeshi, Black African and Pakistani households were still 2 to 3 times more likely to experience persistent very deep poverty.
In Measuring Poverty 2023, the Social Metrics Commission defines its core measure of poverty as “the extent to which the material resources that someone has available to them now are sufficient to meet the material needs that they currently have”. This accounts for differences between households, such as childcare costs and access to savings and assets. Since January 2025, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been developing ‘Below Average Resources’ statistics in line with the recommendations of the Social Metrics Commission.
Since March 2025, DWP has been developing new annual local area statistics on children in low-income families after housing costs. This is alongside the existing statistics before housing costs.
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows:
- the percentage of people living in households in the UK that are in persistent low income, before and after housing costs
- low income entry and exit rates
Persistent low income rates, and rates of low income entry and exit, are based on a measure of relative low income (referred to on this page as ‘low income’).
People are considered to be in low income if they live in a household with less than 60% of median income. According to data from Income Dynamics, median income (before housing costs) was £33,852 a year for a couple with no children in the period from January 2022 to December 2023.
Persistent low income means the household had low income for at least 3 out of 4 consecutive survey interviews between January 2019 and December 2023.
Low income entry and exit rates are percentages of households who go into or out of low income across 2 survey waves. Because sample sizes in each 2-wave period are small, the rates shown are the averages across the 3 most recent 2-wave periods.
The data uses the total income brought into the household on a weekly basis by everyone who lives there, after tax, National Insurance and other deductions. Housing costs include rent and mortgage interest payments.
Read more about how income is measured.
The data relates to households of either one person living alone or a group of people who either share living accommodation or share one meal a day. It must be their main or only home.
Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.
Not included in the data
Data based on fewer than 100 responses is not included. This is because the numbers involved are too small to make reliable generalisations, and to protect people’s confidentiality.
The ethnic groups used in the data
Data is shown for 5 aggregated ethnic groups:
- Asian
- Black
- Mixed
- White
- Other
Data is also shown for the following 2 White ethnic groups:
- White British
- White Other (includes the Irish, Gypsy or Irish Traveller and White Other ethnic groups)
Some households contain people from different ethnic backgrounds. The ethnicity assigned to the household is that of the ‘household reference person'. This is defined as the owner or renter of the accommodation. If there are multiple owners or renters, the household reference person is the oldest person.
The data does not account for people of different ethnic backgrounds who live in the same household.
The values for households with unknown ethnicity are not available and not shown in the data or the charts and tables.
Methodology
Read the Income Dynamics Background information and methodology note for more information about the data.
Household incomes are adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) to take into account the number of adults and children who live there.
There is large regional variation in ethnic minority populations. Some ethnic minorities are clustered in areas with high housing costs, others in areas with lower housing costs. This means some households may have bigger differences in their income before and after housing costs than others.
Data for the Mixed and Other ethnic groups is based on relatively small numbers of individuals. While data is included in the charts, tables and data downloads, it may be less reliable.
The number of people surveyed who were living in Black households has also gone down in recent waves, which may have increased variation in the persistent low income rate for people in this group. Because of this, caution should be used when interpreting data for people in Black households.
The figures are based on survey data. The statistics are estimates and subject to a degree of uncertainty. Use caution when interpreting apparent changes over time or differences between groups. These may be a result of sampling error rather than real differences between groups.
Find out more about:
- interpreting survey data, including how reliability is affected by the number of people surveyed
- how weighting is used to make survey data more representative of the whole group being studied
In the data file
Download the data for:
- January 2010 to December 2023
- persistent low income estimates based on both 60% and 70% of median income
- persistent low income estimates before and after housing costs
- entries into and exits from low income, before and after housing costs
3. By ethnicity (before housing costs)
| Ethnicity | % | Number of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| All | 10 | 21,095 |
| Asian | 19 | 2,047 |
| Black | 9 | 570 |
| Mixed | 9 | 234 |
| White | 10 | 17,778 |
| White British | 10 | 16,870 |
| White other | 8 | 908 |
| Other | 19 | 105 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (before housing costs)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (before housing costs)’ (CSV)
Summary of Persistent low income By ethnicity (before housing costs) Summary
The data for the Mixed and Other ethnic groups is based on a smaller number of households and may be less reliable as a result.
The data shows that, before housing costs (such as rent or mortgage interest payments):
- 10% of all people were in households in persistent low income
- 19% of people in households in both the Asian and Other ethnic groups were in persistent low income – the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups
- 10% of people in White British households and 9% of people in Black households were in persistent low income
- 8% of people in households in the White Other ethnic group were in persistent low income – the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups
The persistent low income rate for people in Black households was lower than it has been in all previous 4-wave periods, falling from 15% to 9%. Large percentage point changes often accompany smaller sample sizes, and it is possible that estimates for people in Black households are being affected in the same way as those for people in households in the Mixed and Other ethnic groups. Please use caution when interpreting these figures.
4. By ethnicity (after housing costs)
| Ethnicity | % | Number of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| All | 12 | 21,095 |
| Asian | 26 | 2,047 |
| Black | 22 | 570 |
| Mixed | 15 | 234 |
| White | 12 | 17,778 |
| White British | 12 | 16,870 |
| White other | 10 | 908 |
| Other | 38 | 105 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (after housing costs)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (after housing costs)’ (CSV)
Summary of Persistent low income By ethnicity (after housing costs) Summary
The data for the Mixed and Other ethnic groups is based on a smaller number of households and may be less reliable as a result.
The data shows that, after housing costs:
- 12% of people were in households in persistent low income
- 38% of people in households in the Other ethnic group were in persistent low income – the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups
- 26% of people in Asian households and 22% of people in Black households were in persistent low income
- 12% of people in White British households were in persistent low income
- 10% of people in households in the White Other ethnic group were in persistent low income – the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups
The persistent low income rate for people in Black households was lower than it had been in the previous 4-wave period, falling from 28% to 22%. Large percentage point changes often accompany smaller sample sizes, and it is possible that estimates for this group are being affected in the same way as those for people in households in the Mixed and Other ethnic groups. Please use caution when interpreting these figures.
5. By ethnicity and age group (before housing costs)
| All | Children | Pensioners | Working-age adults | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | All % | All Number of respondents | Children % | Children Number of respondents | Pensioners % | Pensioners Number of respondents | Working-age adults % | Working-age adults Number of respondents |
| All | 10 | 21,095 | 12 | 4,158 | 12 | 5,089 | 8 | 11,848 |
| Asian | 19 | 2,047 | 25 | 684 | 9 | 155 | 17 | 1,208 |
| Black | 9 | 570 | 7 | 139 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 78 | 10 | 353 |
| Mixed | 9 | 234 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 66 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 20 | 7 | 148 |
| White | 10 | 17,778 | 11 | 3,169 | 12 | 4,745 | 8 | 9,864 |
| White British | 10 | 16,870 | 11 | 2,974 | 12 | 4,589 | 8 | 9,307 |
| White other | 8 | 908 | 8 | 195 | 12 | 156 | 8 | 557 |
| Other | 19 | 105 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 34 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 8 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 63 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and age group (before housing costs)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and age group (before housing costs)’ (CSV)
Summary of Persistent low income By ethnicity and age group (before housing costs) Summary
The data for the Mixed and Other ethnic groups is based on a smaller number of households and may be less reliable as a result.
The data shows that, before housing costs:
- 12% of children, 12% of pensioners and 8% of working-age adults lived in households in persistent low income
- out of all children, those in Asian households had the highest percentage in persistent low income (25%)
6. By ethnicity and age group (after housing costs)
| All | Children | Pensioners | Working-age adults | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | All % | All Number of respondents | Children % | Children Number of respondents | Pensioners % | Pensioners Number of respondents | Working-age adults % | Working-age adults Number of respondents |
| All | 12 | 21,095 | 18 | 4,158 | 11 | 5,089 | 11 | 11,848 |
| Asian | 26 | 2,047 | 34 | 684 | 9 | 155 | 23 | 1,208 |
| Black | 22 | 570 | 21 | 139 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 78 | 22 | 353 |
| Mixed | 15 | 234 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 66 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 20 | 14 | 148 |
| White | 12 | 17,778 | 17 | 3,169 | 11 | 4,745 | 10 | 9,864 |
| White British | 12 | 16,870 | 17 | 2,974 | 11 | 4,589 | 10 | 9,307 |
| White other | 10 | 908 | 9 | 195 | 12 | 156 | 11 | 557 |
| Other | 38 | 105 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 34 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 8 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 63 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and age group (after housing costs)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and age group (after housing costs)’ (CSV)
Summary of Persistent low income By ethnicity and age group (after housing costs) Summary
The data for the Mixed and Other ethnic groups is based on a smaller number of households and may be less reliable as a result.
The data shows that, after housing costs:
- 18% of children, 11% of pensioners and 11% of working-age adults lived in households in persistent low income
- out of all children, those in Asian households had the highest percentage in persistent low income (34%)
7. Entering low income (before and after housing costs)
| After housing costs | Before housing costs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | After housing costs % | After housing costs Number of respondents | Before housing costs % | Before housing costs Number of respondents |
| All | 8 | 59,305 | 7 | 60,726 |
| Asian | 15 | 4,800 | 12 | 5,172 |
| Black | 17 | 1,486 | 12 | 1,707 |
| Mixed | 9 | 717 | 7 | 754 |
| White | 8 | 51,411 | 7 | 52,168 |
| White British | 8 | 48,622 | 7 | 49,269 |
| White other | 11 | 2,789 | 9 | 2,899 |
| Other | 18 | 255 | 16 | 288 |
Download table data for ‘Entering low income (before and after housing costs)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Entering low income (before and after housing costs)’ (CSV)
Summary of Persistent low income Entering low income (before and after housing costs) Summary
A person enters low income if they go from not being in low income in one survey period to being in low income in the next survey period. The data shows average rates of entry into low income for surveys between January 2019 and December 2023.
The data shows that:
- people in households in the White, White British, and Mixed ethnic groups (all 7%) were the least likely to enter low income before housing costs
- people in households in the White (8%), White British (8%), and Mixed (9%) ethnic groups were also least likely to enter low income after housing costs
- people in households in the Other ethnic group had the highest rate of entry into low income before housing costs (16%) and after housing costs (18%)
- 12% of people in Asian households entered low income before housing costs – 15% entered low income after housing costs
- 12% of people in Black households entered low income before housing costs – 17% entered low income after housing costs
8. Leaving low income (before and after housing costs)
| After housing costs | Before housing costs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | After housing costs % | After housing costs Number of respondents | Before housing costs % | Before housing costs Number of respondents |
| All | 37 | 12,710 | 39 | 11,289 |
| Asian | 34 | 2,647 | 37 | 2,275 |
| Black | 35 | 743 | 43 | 522 |
| Mixed | 43 | 183 | 45 | 146 |
| White | 38 | 8,921 | 39 | 8,164 |
| White British | 37 | 8,334 | 39 | 7,687 |
| White other | 45 | 587 | 48 | 477 |
| Other | 22 | 169 | 26 | 136 |
Download table data for ‘Leaving low income (before and after housing costs)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Leaving low income (before and after housing costs)’ (CSV)
Summary of Persistent low income Leaving low income (before and after housing costs) Summary
A person leaves low income if they go from being in low income in one survey period to not being in low income in the next survey period. The data shows average rates of leaving low income for surveys between January 2019 and December 2023.
The data shows that:
- in all ethnic groups, the percentage of people leaving low income before housing costs was higher than the percentage leaving low income after housing costs
- people in households in the White Other ethnic group (48%) were most likely to leave low income before housing costs, followed by people in households in the Mixed ethnic group (45%)
- people in households in the White Other ethnic group (45%) were most likely to leave low income after housing costs, followed by people in households in the Mixed ethnic group (43%)
- 43% of people in Black households left low income before housing costs, and 35% left low income after housing costs – the biggest percentage point difference out of all ethnic groups
9. Data sources
Source
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
Official statistics
Publisher
Department for Work and Pensions
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
Income Dynamics statistics are designed to report on income changes and the persistence of low income for children, working-age adults, and pensioners in the UK.
Reporting on persistent low income rates for children is required under UK law.
Income Dynamics statistics complement Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics by providing measures which are based on household income over time. This is because Income Dynamics statistics are based on Understanding Society (USoc) data, a longitudinal survey run by the University of Essex.
As well as persistent low income statistics, Income Dynamics also includes analysis of changes across the income distribution, including low income entry and exit rates.
10. Download the data
measure, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, time, time_type, geography_code, geography, gender, gender_type, age_bracket, age_bracket_type, value, value_type, sample_size, note
measure, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, time, time_type, geography_code, geography, gender, gender_type, age_bracket, age_bracket_type, value, value_type, unknowns_note, sample_size