UK household consumption, saving and income
What British households do with their money, quarterly since 1963: how much of their income they keep rather than spend — split into pension and non-pension saving, alongside real disposable income — and what the rest goes on, across the twelve COICOP divisions from housing and fuel to transport, food and recreation.
| Indicator | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | Q4-2023 | Q3-2023 | Q2-2023 | Q1-2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saving and income3 | ||||||||||||||
| Saving ratio2 | 8.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.1 | 10 | 9.3 | 8.9 | 7 | 7 | 6.2 | 4.7 | |
| Contribution of pension saving | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 5 | 5.3 | 5 | |
| Contribution of non-pension saving | 4.1 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 5 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 2 | 0.9 | -0.2 | |
| Gross saving | 44,545 | 47,471 | 43,895 | 46,305 | 51,575 | 54,050 | 47,237 | 43,457 | 40,757 | 31,186 | 30,871 | 27,552 | 20,460 | |
| Real disposable income, chained volume | 438,073 | 441,556 | 436,060 | 439,196 | 442,950 | 445,382 | 438,835 | 431,626 | 430,201 | 421,587 | 419,540 | 420,160 | 414,255 | |
| Household final consumption expenditure12 | ||||||||||||||
| Food and non-alcoholic beverages | 37,759 | 37,601 | 37,472 | 36,882 | 36,210 | 35,662 | 35,700 | 35,443 | 35,379 | 35,038 | 34,480 | 35,471 | 34,920 | |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 13,360 | 13,388 | 13,232 | 13,182 | 13,078 | 12,941 | 12,825 | 12,743 | 12,607 | 12,586 | 12,526 | 12,874 | 12,362 | |
| Clothing and footwear | 21,180 | 20,932 | 20,834 | 20,393 | 20,181 | 19,989 | 19,900 | 19,618 | 19,423 | 19,727 | 19,820 | 20,220 | 20,146 | |
| Housing, water, electricity and fuels | 125,179 | 123,839 | 122,608 | 121,013 | 118,984 | 117,145 | 114,546 | 112,346 | 111,522 | 108,769 | 108,345 | 107,872 | 106,681 | |
| Furnishings and household equipment | 19,327 | 19,004 | 18,943 | 18,965 | 18,994 | 19,108 | 18,974 | 18,981 | 18,978 | 18,902 | 19,318 | 19,533 | 19,352 | |
| Health | 9,497 | 9,242 | 9,083 | 8,901 | 8,654 | 8,544 | 8,428 | 8,198 | 7,987 | 7,886 | 7,981 | 7,882 | 7,910 | |
| Transport | 56,745 | 56,182 | 56,095 | 56,093 | 55,023 | 53,806 | 54,065 | 54,520 | 53,119 | 52,265 | 53,403 | 53,007 | 52,255 | |
| Communication | 8,054 | 7,954 | 7,912 | 7,863 | 7,890 | 7,974 | 7,969 | 7,918 | 7,864 | 7,533 | 7,298 | 7,306 | 7,184 | |
| Recreation and culture | 43,456 | 42,979 | 43,189 | 42,897 | 42,540 | 41,886 | 41,257 | 40,702 | 40,215 | 39,135 | 39,011 | 39,064 | 38,953 | |
| Education | 11,945 | 11,746 | 11,591 | 11,429 | 11,262 | 10,819 | 10,656 | 10,505 | 10,354 | 10,197 | 9,927 | 9,769 | 9,562 | |
| Restaurants and hotels | 50,159 | 49,081 | 48,584 | 47,948 | 47,270 | 46,465 | 45,901 | 45,408 | 44,826 | 43,947 | 43,865 | 43,771 | 43,614 | |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 55,103 | 54,145 | 54,078 | 54,054 | 53,550 | 53,395 | 52,901 | 52,435 | 53,273 | 51,549 | 51,000 | 52,739 | 53,342 | |
| Household spending, chained volume12 | ||||||||||||||
| Food and non-alcoholic beverages | 34,627 | 34,664 | 34,761 | 34,546 | 34,429 | 34,396 | 34,730 | 34,643 | 34,602 | 34,305 | 34,129 | 35,343 | 36,132 | |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 11,891 | 12,074 | 12,002 | 12,022 | 12,056 | 12,045 | 12,144 | 12,129 | 12,074 | 12,257 | 12,416 | 12,869 | 12,806 | |
| Clothing and footwear | 20,430 | 20,224 | 20,118 | 19,747 | 19,488 | 19,275 | 19,270 | 18,984 | 18,859 | 19,258 | 19,595 | 20,153 | 20,907 | |
| Housing, water, electricity and fuels | 110,567 | 110,414 | 110,454 | 110,047 | 109,797 | 109,574 | 108,996 | 108,398 | 108,124 | 108,233 | 107,535 | 107,896 | 108,003 | |
| Furnishings and household equipment | 19,456 | 19,139 | 18,998 | 19,049 | 19,049 | 19,208 | 19,139 | 19,127 | 19,113 | 18,852 | 19,367 | 19,407 | 19,479 | |
| Health | 8,440 | 8,358 | 8,244 | 8,081 | 7,925 | 7,937 | 7,913 | 7,774 | 7,694 | 7,678 | 7,906 | 7,980 | 8,095 | |
| Transport | 54,054 | 53,969 | 53,783 | 54,262 | 54,000 | 53,238 | 53,296 | 53,572 | 53,144 | 52,652 | 53,110 | 53,284 | 51,884 | |
| Communication | 7,826 | 7,795 | 7,698 | 7,557 | 7,512 | 7,635 | 7,666 | 7,700 | 7,776 | 7,518 | 7,306 | 7,226 | 7,271 | |
| Recreation and culture | 40,564 | 40,306 | 40,590 | 40,549 | 40,420 | 40,203 | 39,726 | 39,410 | 39,336 | 38,530 | 38,685 | 39,064 | 39,884 | |
| Education | 10,191 | 10,088 | 10,131 | 10,115 | 10,066 | 10,136 | 10,139 | 10,098 | 10,064 | 9,872 | 9,997 | 9,907 | 9,679 | |
| Restaurants and hotels | 44,542 | 44,199 | 44,141 | 43,989 | 43,874 | 43,714 | 43,411 | 43,151 | 43,144 | 43,197 | 43,418 | 44,121 | 44,461 | |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 52,736 | 52,349 | 52,166 | 52,280 | 52,052 | 52,546 | 52,490 | 52,198 | 52,519 | 51,825 | 51,205 | 52,929 | 52,671 |
Latest reading
Saving ratio stood at 8.9% in Q1 2026. That is −0.7 pp from Q4 2025 and −1.6 pp from a year earlier. The series on this page is quarterly and runs from Q1 1963 to Q1 2026. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).
- Latest
- 8.9%
- Q1 2026
- vs previous period
- −0.7 pp
- Q4 2025
- vs a year earlier
- −1.6 pp
About this data
What British households do with their money, quarterly since 1963: how much of their income they keep rather than spend — split into pension and non-pension saving, alongside real disposable income — and what the rest goes on, across the twelve COICOP divisions from housing and fuel to transport, food and recreation. The saving ratio is the single most-quoted number in the UK national accounts.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the UK household saving ratio?
- The UK household saving ratio measures the percentage of gross disposable household income that is saved rather than spent on consumption within a given period.
- How is UK household spending categorised in this table?
- Spending is classified using COICOP divisions, covering housing, water and fuels, food, transport, recreation, clothing, restaurants, health, communication and education.
- How does pension saving affect the UK saving ratio?
- The table separates the saving ratio into contributions from pension saving and non-pension saving, showing how much saved capital is directed towards retirement funds.
- How far back does the UK household consumption and saving data go?
- Quarterly UK household consumption expenditure, disposable income and saving ratio series from the Office for National Statistics date back to 1955.