At-risk-of-poverty rate: EU-SILC and ECHP surveys … poverty in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: At-risk-of-poverty rate: EU-SILC and ECHP surveys … poverty was 21.9% in 2018. ▬ Flat
Latest (2018)
21.9%
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
2nd
of 49 countries
All-time high
24.0%
in 1995
All-time low
20.6%
in 2016
Years of data
20
1995–2018
At-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers (pensions excluded) in United Kingdom, 1995–2018
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
In 2018, at-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers (pensions excluded) in United Kingdom stood at 21.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, at-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers (pensions excluded) in United Kingdom peaked at 24.0% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 20.6%, in 2016.
United Kingdom ranks 2nd of 49 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
At-risk-of-poverty rate: EU-SILC and ECHP surveys … poverty in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 24.0% | — |
| 1996 | 22.0% | -8.3% |
| 1997 | 22.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 22.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 21.0% | -4.5% |
| 2000 | 21.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 23.3% | +11.0% |
| 2006 | 22.3% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 21.0% | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 22.0% | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 22.8% | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 24.0% | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 23.3% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 22.0% | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 22.4% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 21.6% | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 22.1% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 20.6% | -6.8% |
| 2017 | 22.0% | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 21.9% | -0.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 21.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.1%, 1.4× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 21.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 15.1%, 1.5× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.2% | 21.0% | 24.0% | 5 |
| 2000s | 22.1% | 21.0% | 23.3% | 6 |
| 2010s | 22.2% | 20.6% | 24.0% | 9 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.56 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,138 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -7.54 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.91 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is at-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers (pensions excluded) in United Kingdom?
- At-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers (pensions excluded) in United Kingdom was 21.9% in 2018, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest at-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers (pensions excluded) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 1995.
- What is the lowest at-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers (pensions excluded) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.6% in 2016.
- How does United Kingdom rank for at-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers (pensions excluded)?
- United Kingdom ranks 2nd out of 49 countries with data for 2018.
- Is at-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers (pensions excluded) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of At-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers (pensions excluded from social transfers) by poverty threshold, age and sex - EU-SILC and ECHP surveys. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).