How many people are in poverty?

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data shows that around one in six people in the UK were in relative low income (relative poverty) before housing costs in 2021/22. This rises to just over one in five people once housing costs are accounted for.

Around 13% of people in the UK were in absolute low income before housing costs in 2021/22, and 17% were in absolute low income (absolute poverty) after housing costs.

Who is in poverty?

Some groups are more likely than others to be in poverty.

In 2021/22, poverty rates were highest for people in households where the head of the household is from the Pakistani or Bangladeshi ethnic groups and lowest for those from White ethnic groups.

Around 38% of working-age adults in workless families were in relative poverty before housing costs in 2021/22, compared to 10% in families where at least one adult was in work. 

43% of social renters and 35% of private renters were in relative low income after housing costs in 2021/22, compared to 15% of people who owned their home outright and 9% of those who have a mortgage.

The proportion of people in relative low income before housing costs (BHC) was 24% for families where someone is disabled, compared to 14% for people living in families where no one is disabled.

SOURCE : Poverty in the UK: statistics | https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/