Pensioner income
Published
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- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to Pensioners' income sources by ethnicity section
- 4. Navigate to Total income by ethnicity and source of income section
- 5. Navigate to Total income by ethnicity over time section
- 6. Navigate to State Pension income by ethnicity over time section
- 7. Navigate to Income from occupational pensions by ethnicity over time section
- 8. Navigate toData sources section
- 9. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
New data for the 3 year period from April 2018 to March 2021 is available if you download the data. The charts, tables and commentary on this page cover the period April from 2008 to March 2020 and do not include the new data.
In the period from April 2017 to March 2020, :
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The average pensioner family received £556 a week in total income before deductions (‘gross income’)
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White British pensioner families had the highest average gross income (£566 a week), followed by pensioner families from the Other ethnic group (£543 a week)
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Asian pensioner families had the lowest average gross income (£391 a week)
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White British pensioner families were the most likely out of all ethnic groups to receive income from investments (63%), occupational pensions (62%), and personal pensions (18%) – they were the least likely to receive income from income-related benefits (22%)
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Asian pensioner families received the lowest income from occupational pensions (29%) and earnings (13%)
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data measures how much income pensioner families in the UK receive from all sources before taxes and other deductions, by ethnicity.
A ‘pensioner family’ is either a single pensioner or a couple (married or living together) that includes at least one pensioner.
The data does not include income from other people in the household (such as adult children), except for benefit income of dependent children.
The data only covers private households.
Percentages are given to the nearest whole number, and income is rounded to the nearest pound. This means some figures may not add up.
Not included in the data
The data does not include people living in communal accommodation (such as care homes) or with no fixed address.
The ethnic groups used in the data
The data uses the ethnic group categories from the 2011 Census.
Data is aggregated for each of the Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups, which means estimates are shown for these groups as a whole. Data is shown separately for White British and all other White people (‘White Other’ ethnic group).
Some households contain people from different ethnic backgrounds. The ethnicity assigned to the household is that of the head of the household (usually the person with the highest income). The data does not account for people of different ethnic backgrounds who live in the same household.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document for the data on this page.
The data is a time series of 3-year averages, the latest of which is from April 2017 to March 2020. This is to make sure there are enough pensioner families to be able to make reliable generalisations. You can read more about combining multiple years of data and some of the issues involved.
Confidence intervals have not been worked out, so comparisons between ethnic groups may not be reliable.
Household income has not been adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) to take into account the number of people who live there.
The Family Resources Survey has been shown to under-report the number of people receiving benefits compared with the Department for Work and Pensions’ administrative records. For this reason, the percentage of people receiving benefits shown here is likely to be slightly lower than the real percentage.
The figures on this page are based on survey data. Find out more about:
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interpreting survey data, including how reliability is affected by the number of people surveyed
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how weighting is used to make survey data more representative of the whole group being studied
In the data file
See Download the data for figures before the period April 2017 to March 2020.
3. Pensioners' income sources by ethnicity
| Income | Benefit Income of which Disability benefits | Benefit Income of which Income-related benefits | Benefit Income of which State Pension | Earnings income | Investment income | Occupational pension income | Other income | Personal pension income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| All | 20 | 23 | 97 | 16 | 61 | 60 | 48 | 17 |
| Asian | 22 | 37 | 86 | 13 | 35 | 29 | 41 | 6 |
| Black | 22 | 40 | 93 | 21 | 27 | 44 | 50 | 6 |
| Mixed | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| White | 20 | 23 | 98 | 16 | 63 | 61 | 48 | 17 |
| White British | 20 | 22 | 98 | 16 | 63 | 62 | 48 | 18 |
| White Other | 20 | 32 | 88 | 19 | 48 | 44 | 47 | 12 |
| Other | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 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 2017 and March 2020:
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97% of all pensioner families received income from the State Pension
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other common sources of income were investments (61% of all pensioner families) and occupational pensions (60%)
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the least common sources of income were disability benefits (20%), personal pensions (17%) and employment earnings (16%)
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Black pensioner families were the most likely out of all ethnic groups to receive income-related benefits (40%) and White British pensioner families were the least likely (22%)
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White British pensioner families were the most likely out of all ethnic groups to receive income from investments (63%), occupational pensions (62%) and personal pensions (18%)
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Asian pensioner families were the least likely out of all ethnic groups to receive income from occupational pensions (29%)
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Black and Asian pensioner families were the least likely to receive income from a personal pension (both 6%), and Black pensioner families were the least likely to receive income from investments (27%)
4. Total income by ethnicity and source of income
| Income | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | Other | White | White British | White Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Benefit Income of which Disability benefits | 18 | 18 | 19 | 10 | 12 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
| Benefit Income of which Income-related benefits | 22 | 43 | 47 | 45 | 42 | 21 | 20 | 41 |
| Benefit Income of which State Pension | 194 | 145 | 150 | 178 | 152 | 197 | 198 | 155 |
| Benefit income | 242 | 216 | 222 | 238 | 216 | 243 | 244 | 220 |
| Earnings income | 83 | 76 | 91 | 87 | 103 | 82 | 82 | 107 |
| Gross income | 556 | 391 | 412 | 515 | 543 | 564 | 566 | 481 |
| Investment income | 45 | 22 | 19 | 49 | 77 | 46 | 46 | 35 |
| Occupational pension income | 164 | 69 | 72 | 120 | 132 | 169 | 171 | 101 |
| Other income | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Personal pension income | 18 | 5 | 4 | 18 | 8 | 19 | 19 | 15 |
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 2017 and March 2020:
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pensioner families in the UK received £556 a week in total income before deductions
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out of all ethnic groups, White British pensioner families had the highest total weekly income (£566), followed by pensioner families from the Other ethnic group (£543)
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Asian pensioner families had the lowest total weekly income (£391)
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White British pensioner families had the highest weekly income from the State Pension (£198) and Asian pensioner families had the lowest (£145)
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White British pensioner families had the highest weekly income from occupational pensions (£171) and personal pensions (£19)
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pensioner families in the Other ethnic group had the highest weekly income from investments (£77)
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Black pensioner families had the highest weekly income from income-related benefits (£47) and from disability benefits (£19)
5. Total income by ethnicity over time
| 3 year period | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | White British | White Other | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| 2008/09 to 2010/11 | 531 | 447 | 420 | 467 | 534 | 535 | 523 | 511 |
| 2009/10 to 2011/12 | 538 | 463 | 420 | 539 | 541 | 541 | 529 | 517 |
| 2010/11 to 2012/13 | 532 | 466 | 393 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 536 | 536 | 508 | 570 |
| 2011/12 to 2013/14 | 531 | 484 | 385 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 534 | 535 | 499 | 577 |
| 2012/13 to 2014/15 | 540 | 453 | 398 | 474 | 544 | 545 | 494 | 654 |
| 2013/14 to 2015/16 | 547 | 427 | 400 | 513 | 552 | 554 | 498 | 607 |
| 2014/15 to 2016/17 | 556 | 425 | 404 | 530 | 561 | 563 | 507 | 646 |
| 2015/16 to 2017/18 | 556 | 404 | 387 | 506 | 562 | 564 | 499 | 595 |
| 2016/17 to 2018/19 | 558 | 408 | 433 | 563 | 564 | 566 | 496 | 529 |
| 2017/18 to 2019/20 | 556 | 391 | 412 | 515 | 564 | 566 | 481 | 543 |
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:
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the total gross weekly income for pensioner families went up from £531 to £556
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total weekly income went up the most for Mixed ethnicity pensioner families (from £467 to £515), followed by pensioner families from the Other ethnic group (£511 to £543)
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it also went up for White British pensioner families (from £535 to £566)
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the total weekly income went down for White Other pensioner families (from £523 to £481), Asian pensioner families (£447 to £391) and for Black pensioner families (£420 to £412)
6. State Pension income by ethnicity over time
| 3 year period | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | White British | White Other | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| 2008/09 to 2010/11 | 169 | 140 | 135 | 138 | 170 | 171 | 157 | 149 |
| 2009/10 to 2011/12 | 173 | 137 | 143 | 144 | 174 | 175 | 151 | 152 |
| 2010/11 to 2012/13 | 175 | 129 | 138 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 177 | 177 | 149 | 137 |
| 2011/12 to 2013/14 | 177 | 129 | 138 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 179 | 180 | 149 | 135 |
| 2012/13 to 2014/15 | 181 | 133 | 135 | 159 | 183 | 183 | 156 | 139 |
| 2013/14 to 2015/16 | 183 | 136 | 141 | 156 | 185 | 186 | 153 | 154 |
| 2014/15 to 2016/17 | 187 | 137 | 138 | 153 | 189 | 190 | 151 | 146 |
| 2015/16 to 2017/18 | 190 | 136 | 142 | 163 | 192 | 193 | 152 | 146 |
| 2016/17 to 2018/19 | 192 | 144 | 145 | 180 | 194 | 195 | 153 | 146 |
| 2017/18 to 2019/20 | 194 | 145 | 150 | 178 | 197 | 198 | 155 | 152 |
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:
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State Pension income went up from £169 to £194 a week
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State Pension income went up the most for Mixed ethnicity pensioner families (from £138 to £178), followed by White British pensioner families (from £171 to £198 a week)
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it also went up for Black pensioner families (from £135 to £150), Asian pensioner families (from £140 to £145) and pensioner families from the Other ethnic group (£149 to £152)
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State Pension income went down for pensioner families from the White Other ethnic group (from £157 to £155)
7. Income from occupational pensions by ethnicity over time
| 3 year period | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | White British | White Other | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| 2008/09 to 2010/11 | 133 | 79 | 74 | 118 | 134 | 135 | 121 | 120 |
| 2009/10 to 2011/12 | 139 | 75 | 72 | 154 | 142 | 142 | 126 | 134 |
| 2010/11 to 2012/13 | 142 | 81 | 68 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 144 | 145 | 115 | 140 |
| 2011/12 to 2013/14 | 146 | 96 | 70 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 149 | 150 | 105 | 154 |
| 2012/13 to 2014/15 | 151 | 93 | 80 | 152 | 154 | 155 | 108 | 157 |
| 2013/14 to 2015/16 | 156 | 84 | 79 | 121 | 160 | 161 | 111 | 144 |
| 2014/15 to 2016/17 | 162 | 76 | 71 | 97 | 166 | 167 | 109 | 127 |
| 2015/16 to 2017/18 | 161 | 72 | 65 | 85 | 165 | 166 | 102 | 134 |
| 2016/17 to 2018/19 | 164 | 71 | 75 | 101 | 168 | 170 | 106 | 114 |
| 2017/18 to 2019/20 | 164 | 69 | 72 | 120 | 169 | 171 | 101 | 132 |
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:
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occupational pension income for pensioner families went up from £133 to £164 a week
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occupational pension income went up for pensioner families from the White British (from £135 to £171), Other (£120 to £132) and Mixed (£118 to £120) ethnic groups
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income from occupational pensions went down for pensioner families from the Asian (from £79 to £69), White Other (from £121 to £101) and Black (£74 to £72) ethnic groups
8. Data sources
Source
Pensioners’ incomes series: financial year 2020/21
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 by academics and research institutes for social and economic research.
9. Download the data
This file contains data for the period 2008/09 to 2020/21. 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