Pensioner income
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- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toPensioners' income sources by ethnicity section
- 3. Navigate toTotal income by ethnicity and source of income section
- 4. Navigate toTotal income by ethnicity over time section
- 5. Navigate toState Pension income by ethnicity over time section
- 6. Navigate toIncome from occupational pensions by ethnicity 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
- in this data, a ‘pensioner family’ is either a single pensioner or a couple (married or living together) that includes at least one pensioner
- between April 2016 and March 2019, the average pensioner family received £548 a week in total income before deductions (‘gross income’)
- White British pensioner families had the highest average gross income (£556 a week), followed by Mixed ethnicity pensioner families (£553 a week)
- Asian pensioner families had the lowest average gross income (£401 a week)
- White British pensioner families were the most likely out of all ethnic groups to receive income from investments, occupational pensions and personal pensions, and the least likely to receive income from income-related benefits
- Asian pensioner families received the lowest income from occupational pensions
Things you need to know
Because the data varies 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. It works out a new 3-year average every year.
Differences between ethnic groups have not been tested for statistical significance, but we only comment on findings where differences are reasonably reliable.
The data has not been recalculated to take into account any differences in household size and composition (known as ‘equivalisation’). For this reason, you can’t compare the data with figures that have been equivalised.
The Family Resources Survey has been shown to under-report the number of people receiving benefits compared with DWP’s administrative records. For this reason, the percentage of people receiving benefits shown here is likely to be slightly lower than the real percentage.
The survey only covers private households. People living in communal accommodation (such as care homes) or with no fixed address are not included in these results.
The ethnicity assigned to the pensioner family is the head of the family’s ethnicity (usually the person with the highest income). In this data, ‘Mixed ethnicity pensioner families’ are those where the head of the family has Mixed ethnicity, not families whose members are from different ethnic groups.
The figures in the download file before the period April 2016 to March 2019 may not match figures published by DWP. Figures for the Other and Mixed ethnic groups for the period April 2016 to March 2019 are not directly comparable with figures published by DWP.
Looking at the income by ethnicity over time sections, all of the income figures in this release have been uprated to 2018/19 prices.
What the data measures
The data measures how much gross income pensioner families in the UK receive, and the sources of that income. Gross income is the amount of income from all sources before taxes and other deductions.
The data does not include income from other people in the household (such as adult children), except for benefit income of dependent children.
Income-related benefits include:
- Housing Benefit
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Council Tax Reduction
The ethnic categories used in this data
Data is only shown for aggregated groups rather than specific groups. This is because of the small number of people surveyed in some ethnic groups.
Data on White pensioner families is split into 2 groups:
- White British
- White Other
2. Pensioners' income sources by ethnicity
| Income | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White British | White other | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Benefits (inc State Pension) | 100 | 100 | 99 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 100 | 99 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| State Pension | 97 | 86 | 94 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 98 | 88 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Income-related benefits | 24 | 35 | 42 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 23 | 31 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Disability benefits | 20 | 20 | 20 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 20 | 20 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Occupational pension | 60 | 30 | 41 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 62 | 42 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Personal pension | 18 | 8 | 8 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 18 | 13 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Investments | 61 | 34 | 26 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 63 | 49 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Earnings | 16 | 17 | 23 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 16 | 20 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Other | 47 | 41 | 49 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 48 | 45 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
Download table data for ‘Pensioners' income sources by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Pensioners' income sources by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Pensioner income Pensioners' income sources by ethnicity Summary
The data shows that, on average between April 2016 and March 2019:
- 97% of all pensioner families received income from the State Pension
- other common sources of income were investments (61% of all pensioner families) and occupational pensions (60%)
- the least common sources of income were disability benefits (20%), personal pensions (18%) and employment earnings (16%)
- Black pensioner families were the most likely out of all ethnic groups to receive income-related benefits (42%), and White British pensioner families were the least likely (23%)
- White British pensioner families were the most likely out of all ethnic groups to get income from investments (63%), occupational pensions (62%) and personal pensions (18%)
- Asian pensioner families were the least likely out of all ethnic groups to get income from occupational pensions (30%)
- Black and Asian pensioner families were the least likely to get income from a personal pension (8%), and Black pensioner families were the least likely to get income from investments (26%)
3. Total income by ethnicity and source of income
| Income | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White British | White other | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Gross Income | 548 | 401 | 425 | 553 | 556 | 487 | 520 |
| Benefit Income | 235 | 207 | 213 | 234 | 237 | 215 | 226 |
| Benefit Income of which State Pension | 189 | 141 | 142 | 177 | 192 | 151 | 144 |
| Benefit Income of which Income-related benefits | 22 | 38 | 49 | 43 | 20 | 38 | 45 |
| Benefit Income of which Disability benefits | 18 | 17 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 17 | 24 |
| Occupational pension | 161 | 69 | 73 | 99 | 167 | 104 | 112 |
| Personal pension | 20 | 9 | 4 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 7 |
| Investments | 42 | 24 | 16 | 49 | 43 | 31 | 52 |
| Earnings | 86 | 88 | 113 | 148 | 84 | 114 | 117 |
| Other | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
Download table data for ‘Total income by ethnicity and source of income’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Total income by ethnicity and source of income’ (CSV)
Summary of Pensioner income Total income by ethnicity and source of income Summary
The data shows that, on average between April 2016 and March 2019:
- pensioner families in the UK received £548 a week in total income before deductions
- out of all ethnic groups, White British pensioner families had the highest total weekly income (£556), followed by Mixed ethnicity pensioner families (£553)
- Asian pensioner families had the lowest total weekly income (£401)
- White British pensioner families had the highest weekly income from the State Pension (£192), and Asian pensioner families had the lowest (£141)
- White British pensioner families had the highest weekly income from occupational pensions (£167) and personal pensions (£21)
- pensioner families in the Other ethnic group had the highest weekly income from investments (£52) and disability benefits (£24)
- Black pensioner families had the highest weekly income from income-related benefits (£49)
4. Total income by ethnicity over time
| Ethnicity | 2008/09 to 2010/11 | 2009/10 to 2011/12 | 2010/11 to 2012/13 | 2011/12 to 2013/14 | 2012/13 to 2014/15 | 2013/14 to 2015/16 | 2014/15 to 2016/17 | 2015/16 to 2017/18 | 2016/17 to 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| All | 522 | 528 | 523 | 522 | 531 | 538 | 546 | 546 | 548 |
| Asian | 439 | 455 | 458 | 476 | 446 | 420 | 417 | 397 | 401 |
| Black | 412 | 413 | 386 | 378 | 391 | 393 | 397 | 380 | 425 |
| Mixed | 459 | 530 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 466 | 505 | 521 | 497 | 553 |
| White British | 526 | 532 | 527 | 525 | 536 | 544 | 553 | 554 | 556 |
| White other | 514 | 520 | 500 | 490 | 486 | 489 | 498 | 490 | 487 |
| Other | 502 | 508 | 560 | 567 | 643 | 596 | 635 | 584 | 520 |
Download table data for ‘Total income by ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Total income by ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Pensioner income Total income by ethnicity over time Summary
The data shows that, on average:
- the total gross weekly income for pensioner families went up from £522 to £548 over the period studied
- the total weekly income for Mixed ethnicity pensioner families had the largest monetary increase (from £459 to £553), followed by White British pensioner families (from £526 to £556)
- increases in weekly income were also seen for pensioner families in the Other ethnic group (from £502 to £520) and Black ethnic group (from £412 to £425)
- the total weekly income went down for White Other pensioner families (from £514 to £487) and Asian pensioner families (from £439 to £401)
5. State Pension income by ethnicity over time
| Ethnicity | 2008/09 to 2010/11 | 2009/10 to 2011/12 | 2010/11 to 2012/13 | 2011/12 to 2013/14 | 2012/13 to 2014/15 | 2013/14 to 2015/16 | 2014/15 to 2016/17 | 2015/16 to 2017/18 | 2016/17 to 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| All | 166 | 170 | 172 | 174 | 178 | 180 | 184 | 186 | 189 |
| Asian | 138 | 135 | 127 | 127 | 130 | 134 | 135 | 134 | 141 |
| Black | 132 | 141 | 136 | 135 | 133 | 138 | 135 | 139 | 142 |
| Mixed | 136 | 142 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 156 | 154 | 150 | 160 | 177 |
| White British | 168 | 172 | 174 | 177 | 180 | 183 | 187 | 190 | 192 |
| White other | 154 | 148 | 147 | 147 | 153 | 150 | 149 | 149 | 151 |
| Other | 147 | 149 | 135 | 133 | 137 | 152 | 143 | 144 | 144 |
Download table data for ‘State Pension income by ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘State Pension income by ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Pensioner income State Pension income by ethnicity over time Summary
The data shows that, on average:
- State Pension income went up from £166 to £189 a week in the period studied
- State Pension income increased the most for Mixed ethnicity pensioner families (from £136 to £177), followed by White British pensioner families (from £168 to £192 a week)
- increases were also seen for Black pensioner families (from £132 to £142) and Asian pensioner families (from £138 to £141)
- State Pension income went down for pensioner families from the White Other ethnic group (from £154 to £151) and the Other ethnic group (from £147 to £144)
6. Income from occupational pensions by ethnicity over time
| Ethnicity | 2008/09 to 2010/11 | 2009/10 to 2011/12 | 2010/11 to 2012/13 | 2011/12 to 2013/14 | 2012/13 to 2014/15 | 2013/14 to 2015/16 | 2014/15 to 2016/17 | 2015/16 to 2017/18 | 2016/17 to 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| All | 130 | 137 | 140 | 144 | 149 | 154 | 159 | 158 | 161 |
| Asian | 78 | 74 | 80 | 95 | 91 | 83 | 75 | 71 | 69 |
| Black | 72 | 71 | 66 | 69 | 78 | 78 | 70 | 64 | 73 |
| Mixed | 116 | 151 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 149 | 119 | 95 | 83 | 99 |
| White British | 132 | 140 | 143 | 147 | 152 | 158 | 164 | 163 | 167 |
| White other | 119 | 124 | 113 | 103 | 106 | 109 | 107 | 100 | 104 |
| Other | 118 | 131 | 138 | 151 | 154 | 141 | 125 | 131 | 112 |
Download table data for ‘Income from occupational pensions by ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Income from occupational pensions by ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Pensioner income Income from occupational pensions by ethnicity over time Summary
The data shows that, on average:
- occupational pension income for pensioner families went up from £130 to £161 a week in the period studied
- occupational pension income went up for White British pensioner families (from £132 to £167) and for Black pensioner families (from £72 to £73)
- income from occupational pensions went down for Asian pensioner families (from £78 to £69) and White Other pensioner families (from £119 to £104)
- it also went down for Mixed ethnicity pensioner families (from £116 to £99) and pensioner families in the Other ethnic group (from £118 to £112)
7. Methodology
The Family Resources Survey (FRS) collects information on the income and circumstances of people living in private households in the UK.
The survey is carried out in respondents’ homes with an interviewer.
Almost 60,000 households took part in the survey in the 3 years from April 2016 to March 2019.
Survey responses only reflect a sample of the total population, so they are weighted on the basis of local population totals by age and sex to give estimates for the entire UK population. Read more about how weighting is used to make survey data more representative of the whole population.
Rounding
Percentages are given to the nearest whole number, and income is rounded to the nearest pound. This means some figures may not add up.
Related publications
Households Below Average Income
Quality and methodology information
8. Data sources
Source
Pensioners’ incomes series: financial year 2018/19
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Work and Pensions
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The Pensioners’ incomes series is based on data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The main purpose of the FRS is to give the Department for Work and Pensions data to develop, monitor and evaluate social welfare policy.
The survey is also used by other government departments, including 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.
9. Download the data
This file contains data for the period 2008/09 to 2018/19. This is the data used in the charts, tables and commentary shown on this page. The file contains: Measure, Time, Time_type, Ethnicity, Ethnicity_type, Measure_type, Value, Value_type, Note