A stark new study has exposed the extraordinary scale of Britain’s wealth divide.
Research from Resolution Foundation reveals that an average worker would need 52 years of full earnings to move from the middle to the highest wealth tier.
This equates to £1.3million in accumulated income — a dramatic deterioration from 2006 to 2008 when the same journey required 38 years of median wages.
The think tank’s analysis shows that even if a typical full-time employee could save every penny earned over their entire career, they would still fall short of reaching the top of the wealth distribution.
Molly Broome, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Wealth gaps in Britain are now so large that a typical full-time employee saving all their earnings across their entire working life would still not be able to reach the top of the wealth ladder.”
She added: “Soaring wealth and an acute need for more revenue has prompted fresh talk of wealth taxes ahead of the Budget next month.
“But with property and pensions now representing 80 per cent of the growing bulk of household wealth, we need to be honest that higher wealth taxes are likely to fall on pensioners, Southern homeowners or their families, rather than just being paid by the super-rich.”
The findings are drawn from the Foundation’s latest report on household wealth patterns, using new data from the Office for National Statistics Wealth and Assets Survey.
A stark new study has exposed the extraordinary scale of Britain’s wealth divide
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Britain’s household wealth has soared to 7.5 times the GDP during the pandemic years.
The gap in average family wealth per adult between the middle and top tiers has widened from £1million in 2006 to 2008 to £1.3million by 2020 to 2022 in real terms.
More than half — 53 per cent — of wealth accumulation since 2010 has come from passive gains such as rising property values, rather than households actively acquiring assets.
These windfalls have disproportionately benefited older, wealthier homeowners.
Windfalls have disproportionately benefited older, wealthier homeowners
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The generational divide has grown sharply.
Those in their early 30s now trail people in their early 60s by £310,000 — more than double the £135,000 gap recorded in 2006 to 2008.
Regional disparities add a further layer of inequality.
Median wealth per adult in the South East stands at £290,000, while the North East lags behind at £110,000.
London shows the starkest wealth inequality.
A combination of high property prices and low ownership rates has left the wealthiest families with 12 times more wealth per adult than those in the middle bracket, compared with a national ratio of 5.2.
The Foundation’s research highlights how property markets amplify inequality and deepen regional imbalances.
Social mobility has also stalled.
After adjusting for age, 76 per cent of individuals from lower-income backgrounds remain stuck within one decile of their starting position over four years
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After adjusting for age, 76 per cent of individuals from lower-income backgrounds remain stuck within one decile of their starting position over four years.
This reflects what the think tank calls the rising importance of parental wealth in determining lifetime prosperity.
Employment remains the main driver of upward mobility for lower-income households, but opportunities are increasingly limited.
The Foundation has warned that any future wealth tax would mainly impact ordinary homeowners and retirees rather than just the ultra-wealthy.
Property and pensions now make up 80 per cent of Britain’s household wealth.