Average Savings by Age in the UK (ONS)
How much people in Great Britain have in savings and investments at every age, and where your own savings rank, from the Office for National Statistics' Wealth and Assets Survey.
Published 2026-10-31
The median UK household had £10,400 in savings and investments, net of non-mortgage debt, in April 2020 to March 2022. By age, the middle of the distribution sits in the £500 to £5,000 band at 25 to 34, £5,000 to £12,500 at 45 to 54, and £25,000 to £50,000 at 65 and over. The spread is wide: at 45 to 54, 23% live in households that owe more than they hold, while 16% have £100,000 or more. Pensions and property are not included. Source: ONS Wealth and Assets Survey, financial wealth Tables 5.10 and 5.17.
Where do your savings rank for your age?
Pick your age and type your household's savings and investments, minus any loans or card debt (leave out your home and pensions).
Example figures. Change them to yours.
UK median
£10,400
£1,600 above
Top 25% line
£58,000
£46,000 below
The median and top-quarter line are for all UK households (ONS Table 5.10). The share of people your age with less is read from the distribution table on this page (Table 5.17, April 2020 to March 2022), to about one point.
Average savings by age in the UK
ONS does not publish a median for each age, so the "typical" column is the wealth band that holds the middle person of that age. The other columns add up the published bands. Household net financial wealth, April 2020 to March 2022.
| Age | Typical (middle) band | In net debt | £50,000+ | £100,000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16–24 | £5,000 to £12,500 | 26% | 22% | 14% |
| 25–34 | £500 to £5,000 | 35% | 15% | 9% |
| 35–44 | £5,000 to £12,500 | 27% | 20% | 12% |
| 45–54 | £5,000 to £12,500 | 23% | 26% | 16% |
| 55–64 | £12,500 to £25,000 | 15% | 37% | 24% |
| 65+ | £25,000 to £50,000 | 7% | 42% | 27% |
| Everyone | £5,000 to £12,500 | 23% | 26% | 17% |
"In net debt" means household non-mortgage debts are larger than its savings and investments. Shares are of people in each age group, counted by their household's wealth.
How much savings should you have at 50 and 60?
Savings climb with age, but slowly until the 50s. At 45 to 54, 37% of people live in households with £25,000 or more in savings and investments; at 55 to 64 that rises to 49%, and 24% are in households with £100,000 or more. If you are below your age group's middle band, you are not unusual: at 45 to 54, 42% are in households with less than £5,000, including those in net debt.
Workplace and personal pensions are left out of these figures, so check them on the average pension pot by age page, and see whether the total will last with the UK pension calculator.
The full distribution of UK savings by age, April 2020 to March 2022
Percentage of people in each age group by their household's net financial wealth, exactly as ONS publishes it in Table 5.17. Rows may not add to 100 because of rounding.
| Household savings | 16–24 | 25–34 | 35–44 | 45–54 | 55–64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than −£5,000 | 17% | 22% | 16% | 13% | 8% | 2% |
| −£5,000 to −£500 | 7% | 10% | 9% | 8% | 6% | 4% |
| −£500 to £0 | 2% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
| £0 to £500 | 5% | 5% | 4% | 6% | 6% | 4% |
| £500 to £5,000 | 16% | 15% | 14% | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| £5,000 to £12,500 | 11% | 12% | 12% | 11% | 9% | 12% |
| £12,500 to £25,000 | 10% | 9% | 11% | 10% | 9% | 11% |
| £25,000 to £50,000 | 10% | 9% | 12% | 11% | 12% | 13% |
| £50,000 to £100,000 | 8% | 6% | 8% | 11% | 13% | 15% |
| £100,000 or more | 14% | 9% | 12% | 16% | 24% | 28% |
What counts as savings in these figures
ONS calls it net financial wealth: current and savings accounts, cash ISAs and stocks and shares ISAs, investments, bonds, children's savings and informal savings, minus non-mortgage debts such as loans, credit cards and arrears. Your home and your pensions are separate parts of wealth and are not included. Each person is placed by their household's total, so a 25-year-old living with parents is counted at the parents' level. Across all households the quartiles were £300, £10,400 and £58,000.
See the whole picture
- Average net worth by age in the UK — savings plus property, pensions and possessions.
- Average pension pot by age — the retirement savings these figures leave out.
- UK net worth calculator — add it all up and see where you stand.
Frequently asked questions
What are the average savings in the UK?+
The median household in Great Britain had £10,400 in net financial wealth (savings and investments minus non-mortgage debt) in April 2020 to March 2022, according to the ONS Wealth and Assets Survey. The 25th percentile household had £300 and the 75th percentile £58,000. Property and private pensions are not included.
What are the average savings at 50 in the UK?+
ONS does not publish a single figure for 50-year-olds. For people aged 45 to 54, the middle of the distribution falls in the £5,000 to £12,500 band of household net financial wealth. 23% live in households whose debts are larger than their savings, and 16% in households with £100,000 or more (ONS, April 2020 to March 2022).
How much savings should I have at 60?+
There is no official target, but for people aged 55 to 64 the middle of the distribution sits around the top of the £12,500 to £25,000 band: 49% are in households with £25,000 or more and 24% with £100,000 or more. Pensions are counted separately; see the average pension pot by age for those.
How much savings does the average 40-year-old have in the UK?+
For people aged 35 to 44, the middle of the distribution falls in the £5,000 to £12,500 band. 45% are in households with less than £5,000 (including those in net debt) and 20% in households with £50,000 or more (ONS Wealth and Assets Survey, April 2020 to March 2022).
Have UK savings gone up?+
In cash terms, yes. The median household's net financial wealth rose from £8,000 in April 2018 to March 2020 to £10,400 in April 2020 to March 2022 (30% higher). These figures are not adjusted for inflation, and the next survey round has not been published yet.
Where does this data come from?+
The Office for National Statistics' Wealth and Assets Survey, "Financial wealth: Wealth in Great Britain", Table 5.17 (individuals by age, by household net financial wealth) and Table 5.10 (summary statistics), April 2020 to March 2022. Each person is counted by their household's wealth, not their own. Shares are published as whole percentages, so every figure on this page is approximate to about one point.
