According to a report from the Resolution Foundation, it would take an average earner in the UK approximately 52 years of earnings to accumulate wealth comparable to that of the wealthiest 10%. This finding is based on an analysis of the Office for National Statistics’ latest wealth and assets survey, which covers the period of 2020-22, including the effects of the Covid pandemic.
The report indicates that the wealth gap has widened significantly since the pre-global financial crisis era. In 2006-08, it took 38 years of median full-time earnings to reach the top 10% of wealth holders; by 2020-22, this was extended to 52 years. The disparity between the average person’s wealth and that of the top 10% also increased, rising from £1 million to £1.3 million in real terms over the same period.
Molly Broome, a senior economist at the Resolution Foundation and lead author of the report, pointed out that the wealth disparities are such that a typical full-time employee saving their entire earnings throughout their working life still would not attain the wealth of the upper echelon. The report also highlights limited wealth mobility in Britain, where individuals born into wealth typically remain wealthy.
Despite the widening wealth gap in absolute terms, the report notes that the share of total wealth held by the richest households has remained stable since the 1980s. The increase in total wealth in the UK has grown from three times the annual GDP to nearly 7.5 times, largely driven by passive gains like rising property values and pension valuations, which have predominantly benefited older, property-owning households.
Regional disparities are also notable; for example, average wealth stood at £290,000 in south-east England compared to £110,000 in the north-east. During the pandemic, while many households managed to save, higher-income families saw significantly larger increases in their liquid savings compared to those in lower-income brackets.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2025/oct/08/lifetime-of-earnings-not-enough-for-uk-workers-to-join-wealthiest-10-report-says