Signal UK income inequality 7th highest in the OECD in 2021

Summary

The report links poverty in the UK to income inequality and presents the level of inequality as part of the background to risks facing vulnerable people. UK income inequality has shown little change for more than ten years. Measured on equivalised disposable income in 2021, the UK had the seventh highest level of inequality among OECD member countries. Wealth gaps are even sharper, with the richest tenth of households in Great Britain holding 43% of total wealth, and London showing the greatest wealth inequality of any region. The report explains that child poverty is associated with worse health, education and job prospects, and that groups such as ethnic minorities and disabled people are especially exposed to economic vulnerability.