People in low income households
Published
- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to By ethnicity section
- 4. Navigate to By ethnicity over time (before housing costs) section
- 5. Navigate to By ethnicity over time (after housing costs) section
- 6. Navigate to By ethnicity and age group (before housing costs) section
- 7. Navigate to By ethnicity and age group (after housing costs) section
- 8. Navigate toData sources section
- 9. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- between April 2008 and March 2024, households from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic groups were the most likely to live in low income out of all ethnic groups, before and after housing costs
- people in White British households were generally the least likely to live in low income households, before and after housing costs
Further research
A report by the Office for National Statistics in 2023 showed that Black employees consistently earned less than White employees between 2012 and 2022. After adjusting for characteristics such as qualifications and occupation, UK-born White employees earned more on average than most ethnic minority employees. The factors that most affected pay were occupation, qualifications, geography, age and sex.
Research by the Low Pay Commission found that being paid the National Minimum Wage is more common among ethnic minority employees, women, and disabled people. It is even more common when these factors are combined, and minimum wage coverage was considerably higher for disabled ethnic minority women. Among individual ethnic groups, minimum wage was most common for people with Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds. The likelihood of the minimum wage for Indian employees was similar to that of White employees.
Research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) (PDF opens in a new window or tab) shows that people from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to experience disadvantaged childhoods than White people. Compared with White people, some ethnic minority groups also had lower rates of employment among economically active adults. The IFS suggests that some of this employment gap is due to inherited economic disadvantages. They note that while educational success can reduce the disadvantages, it cannot remove them completely.
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows the percentage of people living in low income households in the UK, by ethnicity.
Households are classed as being in low income if they live on less than 60% of the median net disposable equivalised UK household income.
For example, in the year ending March 2024, a couple with no children would be in low income with an annual household income of:
- up to £20,400 before housing costs
- £17,600 after housing costs
Household income is the total income of the household before tax, National Insurance and other deductions. It includes the value of free school meals, free TV licences and other income-based entitlements.
The data measures income before and after housing costs have been paid. Housing costs include rent or mortgage payments and insurance. These vary by region, as do ethnic minority communities.
The information relates to households of either one person or a group of people sharing cooking facilities and a living room or dining area. It must be their main or only home. Household incomes are adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) to take into account the number of adults and children who live there.
Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number, so some figures may not add up to 100%.
Not included in the data
Percentages based on fewer than 100 responses are not shown. This is to protect people’s confidentiality and because the numbers involved are too small to make reliable generalisations.
The ethnic groups used in the data
Data is aggregated for each of the Asian, Black, Mixed, White and Other ethnic groups, and estimates are shown for these groups as a whole using the ethnic categories from the 2011 Census.
For groups with big enough sample sizes, more detailed ethnic group breakdowns are also shown. Data is shown separately for the 5 Asian ethnic groups, the White British group, and for all other White groups combined (shown as ‘White other’, which includes the White Irish, Gypsy or Irish Traveller, and White Other groups).
Ethnicity was unknown for a small number of people in the survey (fewer than 100 households).
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 for the data on this page.
The data is an average for 3 financial years – for example, from April 2021 to March 2024. This is to make sure there are enough households to be able to make reliable generalisations. You can read more about combining multiple years of data and some of the issues involved. Due to the impact of COVID-19 on data collection and sample composition, data by ethnicity from April 2020 to March 2021 was not published. As a result, data between April 2018 and March 2023 is based on 2-year averages. Read Technical report: assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on the HBAI statistics for FYE2021 for more information.
Confidence intervals have not been worked out, so comparisons between ethnic groups may not be reliable.
The figures on this page are based on survey data. You can read more about:
- interpreting survey data
- how weighting is used to make survey results more representative of the whole population
In the data file
Download the data for:
- figures before and after housing costs
- 2 and 3 year averages from 2008 onwards by ethnicity and age group (children, pensioners and working age population)
3. By ethnicity
| Ethnicity | Low income Before Housing Costs | Low income After Housing Costs |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| All | 17 | 21 |
| Asian | 27 | 38 |
| Bangladeshi | 37 | 53 |
| Chinese | 27 | 36 |
| Indian | 17 | 26 |
| Pakistani | 38 | 47 |
| Asian other | 26 | 38 |
| Black | 26 | 39 |
| Mixed | 22 | 28 |
| White | 15 | 18 |
| White British | 15 | 18 |
| White other | 15 | 23 |
| Other | 29 | 44 |
| Unknown | N/A* | N/A* |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of People in low income households By ethnicity Summary
The data shows that:
- 17% of people lived in households in low income before housing costs were deducted, such as rent or mortgage payments – 21% lived in households in low income after housing costs
- before housing costs, 38% of households in the Pakistani ethnic group, and 37% of households in the Bangladeshi ethnic group were low income households – the highest percentages out of all ethnic groups
- after housing costs, 53% of households in the Bangladeshi ethnic group, and 47% of households in the Pakistani ethnic group were low income households – the highest percentages out of all ethnic groups
- people in White British and White Other households were the least likely to live in low income households before housing costs (15%)
- people in White British households were the least likely to live in low income households after housing costs (18%)
4. By ethnicity over time (before housing costs)
| 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 | 2017/18 to 2019/20 | 2018/19 to 2019/20 | 2019/20 to 2021/22 | 2021/22 to 2022/23 | 2021/22 to 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| All | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Asian | 32 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Bangladeshi | 51 | 42 | 41 | 35 | 38 | 39 | 35 | 33 | 31 | 35 | 35 | 39 | 40 | 37 |
| Chinese | 21 | 26 | 32 | 31 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 21 | 18 | 27 | 27 |
| Indian | 23 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 |
| Pakistani | 45 | 44 | 43 | 40 | 38 | 38 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 41 | 41 | 39 | 36 | 38 |
| Asian other | 22 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 24 | 26 |
| Black | 29 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| Mixed | 21 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 22 |
| White | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
| White British | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
| White other | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Other | 29 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 29 |
| Unknown | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time (before housing costs)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time (before housing costs)’ (CSV)
Summary of People in low income households By ethnicity over time (before housing costs) Summary
Figures between April 2008 and March 2018 are 3-year averages. Figures for April 2018 to March 2023 are 2-year averages. Figures returned to 3-year averages for April 2021 to March 2024.
The data shows that, before housing costs were paid:
- in each year, households in the Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic groups were the most likely to live in low income out of all ethnic groups
- people in White British households were generally the least likely to live in low income
- between 2008 and 2019, the percentage of Bangladeshi households living in low income went down from 51% to 31%, between 2019 and 2024 it went up to 37%
5. By ethnicity over time (after housing costs)
| 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 | 2017/18 to 2019/20 | 2018/19 to 2019/20 | 2019/20 to 2021/22 | 2021/22 to 2022/23 | 2021/22 to 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| All | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
| Asian | 41 | 39 | 39 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 38 |
| Bangladeshi | 63 | 53 | 56 | 52 | 51 | 50 | 49 | 50 | 53 | 55 | 56 | 53 | 56 | 53 |
| Chinese | 31 | 40 | 46 | 49 | 38 | 35 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 30 | 28 | 25 | 34 | 36 |
| Indian | 30 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 26 |
| Pakistani | 52 | 52 | 48 | 46 | 44 | 46 | 48 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 48 | 47 |
| Asian other | 41 | 41 | 42 | 39 | 35 | 32 | 33 | 39 | 41 | 42 | 41 | 39 | 34 | 38 |
| Black | 42 | 39 | 39 | 41 | 40 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 42 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 39 |
| Mixed | 36 | 39 | 38 | 33 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 36 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
| White | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
| White British | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
| White other | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 |
| Other | 42 | 42 | 40 | 41 | 44 | 46 | 44 | 42 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 36 | 41 | 44 |
| Unknown | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time (after housing costs)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time (after housing costs)’ (CSV)
Summary of People in low income households By ethnicity over time (after housing costs) Summary
Figures between April 2008 and March 2018 are 3-year averages. Figures for April 2018 to March 2023 are 2-year averages. Figures returned to 3-year averages for April 2021 to March 2024.
The data shows that, after housing costs were paid:
- out of all ethnic groups, people in households in the Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic groups were the most likely to live in low income in every year covered by the data
- people living in White British households were consistently the least likely to be in low income
- the percentage of households in the Bangladeshi ethnic group living in low income went down 10 percentage points (from 63% to 53%) in the years covered by the data – the biggest decrease out of all ethnic groups
- the percentage of households in the Chinese ethnic group living in low income went down from 49% in the 3 years ending in March 2014 to 25% in the period to March 2022 – it went up to 36% in the 3 years to March 2024
6. By ethnicity and age group (before housing costs)
| Ethnicity | All | Children | Pensioners | Working-age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | |
| All | 17 | 22 | 18 | 15 |
| Asian | 27 | 37 | 27 | 23 |
| Bangladeshi | 37 | 47 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 32 |
| Chinese | 27 | 37 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 24 |
| Indian | 17 | 21 | 29 | 15 |
| Pakistani | 38 | 48 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 32 |
| Asian other | 26 | 34 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 23 |
| Black | 26 | 31 | 25 | 23 |
| Mixed | 22 | 32 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 18 |
| White | 15 | 18 | 18 | 13 |
| White British | 15 | 18 | 18 | 13 |
| White other | 15 | 20 | 21 | 12 |
| Other | 29 | 36 | 20 | 26 |
| Unknown | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
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 People in low income households By ethnicity and age group (before housing costs) Summary
Data is shown for the following age groups:
- children – under 16 years old, or 16 to 19 if they are living with their parents, in full-time education or training, and not married or in a civil partnership
- working age – 16 years old to State Pension age
- pensioner – State Pension age or over
The data shows that, before housing costs were paid:
- children from households in Pakistani (48%) and Bangladeshi (47%) ethnic groups were the most likely to live in low income out of all ethnic groups – children in White British households (18%) were the least likely
- working age adults from households in the Bangladeshi and Pakistani (both 32%) ethnic groups were the most likely to live in low income out of all ethnic groups
- pensioners from households in the Indian (29%) ethnic group were the most likely to live in low income – the number of pensioners in the Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups was too small to make any reliable conclusions
7. By ethnicity and age group (after housing costs)
| Ethnicity | All | Children | Pensioners | Working-age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | |
| All | 21 | 30 | 16 | 20 |
| Asian | 38 | 49 | 27 | 34 |
| Bangladeshi | 53 | 65 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 47 |
| Chinese | 36 | 49 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 33 |
| Indian | 26 | 30 | 28 | 25 |
| Pakistani | 47 | 59 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 42 |
| Asian other | 38 | 48 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 35 |
| Black | 39 | 49 | 31 | 35 |
| Mixed | 28 | 39 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 23 |
| White | 18 | 24 | 16 | 17 |
| White British | 18 | 24 | 16 | 17 |
| White other | 23 | 31 | 22 | 20 |
| Other | 44 | 56 | 27 | 39 |
| Unknown | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
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 People in low income households By ethnicity and age group (after housing costs) Summary
The data shows that, after housing costs were paid:
- children from households in the Bangladeshi ethnic group (65%) were the most likely to live in low income households out of all ethnic groups – children from households in the White British (24%) and Indian (30%) ethnic groups were the least likely
- working age adults from households in the Bangladeshi (47%) and Pakistani (42%) ethnic groups were the most likely to live in low income households out of all ethnic groups – those in White British (17%) households were the least likely
- pensioners from households in the Black (31%) and Indian (28%) ethnic groups were the most likely to live in low income households, and those in White British households (16%) were the least likely – the number of pensioners in Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups was too small to make any reliable conclusions
8. Data sources
Source
Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024
Type of data
Administrative and survey data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Work and Pensions
Note on corrections or updates
Any 3-year estimates before the period from April 2012 to March 2015 may be different to the published Households Below Average Income tables due to a change in the ethnic groups shown.
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
Households Below Average Income is the main source of data about household income and inequality in the UK.
9. Download the data
This file contains the following: measure, time, time_type, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, geography, geography_type, share_of_population, value, denominator, numerator, note, age_bracket, age_bracket_type