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- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toPensioner income sources section
- 3. Navigate toTotal pensioner income by source section
- 4. Navigate toTotal pensioner income over time section
- 5. Navigate toIncome from the State Pension over time section
- 6. Navigate toIncome from occupational pensions over time section
- 7. Navigate to Methodology section
- 8. Navigate to Data sources section
- 9. Navigate to Download the data section
1. Main facts and figures
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in the period from 2013/14 to 2015/16, the average pensioner household received £507 a week in total income before deductions
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White British and White Other pensioner households had the highest average income, and Black pensioner households had the lowest
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compared with other ethnic groups, White British pensioner households were the most likely to receive income from occupational pensions, personal pensions, and investments (jointly with White Other pensioner households) – and they were the least likely to receive income from income-related benefits
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Asian pensioner households consistently received the lowest income from the State Pension over the period studied
Things you need to know
Because of variations in the data from year to year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes 3 years’ worth of data and works out the average for that period. For example, the published data for the period from 2013/14 to 2015/16 is an average of the data for the 3 years 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16. A new 3-year average is worked out every year.
While this type of survey methodology increases the reliability of the data, it means that tests for significant differences between ethnic groups have not been carried out. However, commentary has been supplied for those findings where differences between ethnic groups are reasonably reliable.
These statistics are estimates based on the sample of people who took part in the survey (around 7,000 pensioner households) and may not reflect the whole population. You should therefore use caution when interpreting them.
The data has not been recalculated to take into account any differences in household size and composition (known as ‘equivalisation’). For this reason, the data isn’t comparable with data on income that has been equivalised.
The Family Resources Survey has been shown to under-report the number of people receiving benefits compared to administrative records held by DWP. For this reason, the percentages given here are likely to be slightly lower than the actual percentage of claimants in the population.
The ethnicity assigned to the household is that of the household reference person (usually the person with the highest income). Some households contain people from different ethnic backgrounds. In these circumstances, we have used the ethnic background of the household reference person to define the ethnic background of the household.
Percentages are given to the nearest whole percentage point, and income is rounded to the nearest pound. Due to this rounding, some figures may not add up.
What the data measures
The data measures the sources and amounts of gross income for pensioner households in the UK. Gross income is the amount of income from all sources before taxes and other deductions.
A pensioner household can be either:
- a single person over State Pension age living alone
- a couple (married or living together) where at least one person is over State Pension age
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uses the term ‘benefit unit’ to refer to a family unit made up of a single adult, or a married or cohabiting couple (including same-sex partners), plus any dependent children.
These benefit units are categorised according to the ethnicity of the ‘head of benefit unit’ (usually the person with the highest income).
The data does not include income from others in a household. For example, if a pensioner lives with their adult non-dependent children, or any non-related adults or children, the others’ income is not included.
Income-related benefit is means-tested and dependent on level of income and savings. Types of income-related benefit include Council Tax Reduction, Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, and social fund payments (like Budgeting Loans). Most benefits are administered by the DWP. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction are administered by local authorities.
The ethnic categories used in this data
For this data, the number of people surveyed (the ‘sample size’) was too small to draw any firm conclusions about detailed ethnic categories.
Therefore, the data is broken down into the following 5 broad groups, where ‘White Other’ refers to White ethnic minorities:
- White British
- White Other
- Black/Black British
- Asian/Asian British
- Other (including people of Mixed ethnicity)
2. Pensioner income sources
| Income source | All | Asian | Black | White British | White other | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Receiving income from benefits (including State Pension) | 100 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Receiving income from State Pension | 97 | 89 | 91 | 98 | 87 | 88 |
| Receiving income from income-related benefits | 26 | 36 | 44 | 25 | 34 | 34 |
| Receiving income from disability benefits | 20 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 17 |
| Receiving occupational pension income | 62 | 34 | 48 | 64 | 49 | 47 |
| Receiving personal pension income | 18 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| Receiving investment income | 64 | 39 | 31 | 65 | 59 | 53 |
| Receiving income from earnings | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 |
| Receiving other income | 46 | 41 | 46 | 46 | 44 | 37 |
Download table data for ‘Pensioner income sources’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Pensioner income sources’ (CSV)
Summary of Pensioner income Pensioner income sources Summary
This data shows that:
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overall, 97% of pensioner households received income from the State Pension; other common sources of income were investments (at 64% of all households) and occupational pensions (at 62%)
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the least common sources of income, on average, were earnings (at 17% of all pensioner households), personal pensions (at 18%) and disability benefits (at 20%)
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Black pensioner households were the most likely to receive income-related benefits (at 44%) compared with other ethnic groups, and White British pensioner households were the least likely (25%)
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White British pensioner households were the most likely to receive income from investments, occupational pensions and personal pensions (at 65%, 64% and 19% respectively)
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Asian pensioner households were the least likely to get income from an occupational pension (at 34%); Black households were least likely to get income from a personal pension (at 8%) or investments (31%)
3. Total pensioner income by source
| Income source | All | Asian | Black | White British | White other | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Gross income value | 507 | 395 | 370 | 513 | 460 | 520 |
| Income from earnings | 83 | 90 | 74 | 82 | 98 | 126 |
| Investment income | 41 | 24 | 5 | 42 | 42 | 39 |
| Income from occupational pension | 145 | 78 | 73 | 149 | 103 | 123 |
| Personal pension income | 20 | 5 | 6 | 20 | 17 | 15 |
| Income from State Pension | 170 | 126 | 130 | 172 | 142 | 144 |
| Income from income-related benefits | 22 | 42 | 55 | 21 | 36 | 46 |
| Income from disability benefits | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 14 |
| Income from other sources | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
Download table data for ‘Total pensioner income by source’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Total pensioner income by source’ (CSV)
Summary of Pensioner income Total pensioner income by source Summary
This data shows that:
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the average pensioner household received £507 a week in total income before deductions in the period studied
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White British pensioner households and those from the Other ethnic group had the highest total average weekly income (at £513 and £520 respectively), and Black pensioner households had the lowest (at £370)
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weekly income from the State Pension was highest for White British pensioner households (at £172) and lowest for Asian pensioner households (at £126)
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White British pensioner households had the highest weekly average income from occupational pensions (at £149) and personal pensions (at £20), compared with other ethnic groups; they also had the joint highest income from investments (£42) along with pensioner households from the other White ethnic group
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Black pensioner households received the highest weekly average income from income-related benefits (£55) and disability benefits (£18), compared with other ethnic groups
4. Total pensioner income over time
| Standard Ethnicity | 2008/09; 2009/10; 2010/11 | 2009/10; 2010/11; 2011/12 | 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13 | 2011/12; 2012/13; 2013/14 | 2012/13; 2013/14; 2014/15 | 2013/14; 2014/15; 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| All | 492 | 498 | 493 | 491 | 500 | 507 |
| White British | 495 | 501 | 497 | 495 | 505 | 513 |
| White other | 477 | 486 | 467 | 462 | 457 | 460 |
| Black | 464 | 471 | 385 | 352 | 369 | 370 |
| Asian | 397 | 412 | 409 | 425 | 420 | 395 |
| Other | 420 | 457 | 542 | 572 | 561 | 520 |
Download table data for ‘Total pensioner income over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Total pensioner income over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Pensioner income Total pensioner income over time Summary
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overall, the average total weekly income for pensioner households increased from £492 to £507 over the period studied
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however, the average total weekly income decreased in the same period for Black pensioner households (from £464 to £370), White Other pensioner households (from £477 to £460), and Asian pensioner households (from £397 to £395)
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there were increases in average total weekly income for White British pensioner households (from £495 to £513) and pensioner households from the Other ethnic group (from £420 to £520)
5. Income from the State Pension over time
| Standard Ethnicity | 2008/09; 2009/10; 2010/11 | 2009/10; 2010/11; 2011/12 | 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13 | 2011/12; 2012/13; 2013/14 | 2012/13; 2013/14; 2014/15 | 2013/14; 2014/15; 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| All | 157 | 160 | 162 | 164 | 167 | 170 |
| White British | 158 | 162 | 164 | 167 | 170 | 172 |
| White other | 145 | 140 | 138 | 138 | 144 | 142 |
| Black | 136 | 141 | 130 | 128 | 125 | 130 |
| Asian | 124 | 121 | 116 | 115 | 123 | 126 |
| Other | 131 | 134 | 125 | 133 | 135 | 144 |
Download table data for ‘Income from the State Pension over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Income from the State Pension over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Pensioner income Income from the State Pension over time Summary
This data shows that:
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overall, the average weekly income from the State Pension increased from £157 to £170 in the period studied
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however, the average weekly income from the State Pension decreased in the same period for Black pensioner households (from £136 to £130) and White Other pensioner households (from £145 to £142)
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there were increases in the average weekly income from the State Pension for White British pensioner households (from £158 to £172), Asian pensioner households (from £124 to £126) and pensioner households from the Other ethnic group (from £131 to £144)
6. Income from occupational pensions over time
| Standard Ethnicity | 2008/09; 2009/10; 2010/11 | 2009/10; 2010/11; 2011/12 | 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13 | 2011/12; 2012/13; 2013/14 | 2012/13; 2013/14; 2014/15 | 2013/14; 2014/15; 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| All | 123 | 129 | 132 | 136 | 140 | 145 |
| White British | 125 | 131 | 134 | 139 | 143 | 149 |
| White other | 109 | 115 | 105 | 97 | 100 | 103 |
| Black | 105 | 102 | 81 | 75 | 74 | 73 |
| Asian | 74 | 80 | 76 | 83 | 86 | 78 |
| Other | 76 | 78 | 107 | 136 | 139 | 123 |
Download table data for ‘Income from occupational pensions over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Income from occupational pensions over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Pensioner income Income from occupational pensions over time Summary
This data shows that:
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overall, the average weekly income from occupational pensions increased from £123 to £145 in the period studied
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however, the average weekly income from occupational pensions decreased in the same period for Black pensioner households (from £105 to £73) and White Other pensioner households (from £109 to £103)
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there were increases in the average weekly income from occupational pensions for White British pensioner households (from £125 to £149), Asian pensioner households (from £74 to £78) and pensioner households from the Other ethnic group (from £76 to £123)
7. Methodology
The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is a continuous household survey which collects information on a representative sample of private households in the United Kingdom. Detailed information is recorded on respondents’ income from all sources:
- housing tenure
- caring needs and responsibilities
- disability
- expenditure on housing
- education
- pension scheme participation
- childcare
- family circumstances
- child maintenance
The survey is conducted in respondents’ homes face to face with an interviewer.
In the latest 3-year period, 2013/14 to 2015/16, the FRS sample consisted of almost 60,000 households in the UK. It has a financial-year survey period with surveys conducted throughout the year and is cross-sectional (a ‘snapshot’ of households over the year). Individuals are not followed up for later surveys. Since responses reflect only a sample of the total population, they are weighted (scaled-up) on the basis of subnational population totals by age and sex to give estimates for the entire UK household population.
Estimates are subject to sampling error and non-sampling bias. The FRS only covers private households. Therefore, individuals who live in communal accommodation (for example, care homes) or have no fixed address (for example, who are homeless) are not included in these results.
The data has not been recalculated to take into account any differences in household size and composition (known as ‘equivalisation’). Equivalisation adjusts incomes for household size and composition, taking an adult couple with no children as the reference point. For example, the process of equivalisation would adjust the income of a single person upwards, so their income can be compared directly to the standard of living for a couple.
In the pensioners’ incomes series, income is usually shown for single pensioners and pensioner couples separately. The benefit income of dependent children is included in estimates, but this was only relevant for 1 per cent of pensioner households.
This measure does not include any commentary on living standards or net income. You can find data on income before and after housing costs have been deducted in the data tables in the Pensioners’ incomes series.
Suppression rules and disclosure control
Any values based on fewer than 100 responses have been suppressed. Percentages are given to the nearest whole percentage point, and income is rounded to the nearest pound. Due to this rounding, some figures may not add up.
Rounding
Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percentage point and value figures are rounded to the nearest £1.
Quality and methodology information
8. Data sources
Source
Pensioners’ incomes series: financial year 2015/16
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Work and Pensions
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The primary purpose of the Family Resources Survey (FRS) is to provide the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with data to inform the development, monitoring and evaluation of social welfare policy.
The survey is used by many other government departments, and for tax and benefit policy modelling by HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs. The FRS is also used extensively by academics and research institutes for social and economic research.
The pensioners’ incomes series contains estimates of the levels, sources and distribution of pensioners’ incomes. It also compares pensioners’ incomes with those of the population as a whole.
9. Download the data
This files contains the following: ethnicity, year, value