Average net worth by age in the UK

On the latest ONS figures, median household wealth in Great Britain rises with age from about £15,200 in your early twenties to a peak of £502,500 at 65 to 74, then eases back in later life. The overall median across all ages is £293,700. These are whole-household totals and they include pensions, so read them with that in mind before measuring yourself against them.

Net worth by age in the UK

The clearest UK source is the Office for National Statistics, which measures total household wealth in its Wealth and Assets Survey. The latest published round covers April 2020 to March 2022 and groups households by the age of the household reference person. Here is the median total wealth for each age band.

Two things stand out. The jump from your twenties to your fifties is steep, as people pay down a mortgage and a pension pot builds. And wealth peaks at 65 to 74 rather than rising forever, because households start spending their savings once they retire. The survey covers Great Britain, so it does not include Northern Ireland.

Why these use the median, not the average

People search for the average net worth by age, but the figure to look at is the median. The median is the middle household: line every household up by wealth and the median is the one in the centre, with half above and half below. The mean average adds everyone's wealth and divides by the number of households.

For wealth the mean is misleading, because a small number of very rich households drag it well above what most people actually have. The median is not pulled around like that, so it gives a truer picture of a typical household. That is why the figures above, and most sensible comparisons, use the median.

What the figures include

The ONS total wealth figure is broader than the everyday idea of net worth. Across all households it breaks down roughly as:

• Property wealth (about 40%). The value of homes after the outstanding mortgage, in other words your equity.
• Private pension wealth (about 35%). The value of workplace and personal pensions. This is the part people most often leave out of their own sums.
• Financial wealth (about 14%). Savings, ISAs, investments and cash, after any non-mortgage debt.
• Physical wealth (about 10%). Cars, household contents and other valuables.

The pension share is the big one to remember. If you total up your own net worth as just savings, investments and home equity, you are leaving out something that makes up a third of these benchmarks, so you will look further behind than you really are. The net worth tracker has a slot for your pension pot so you can compare like with like.

Why wealth rises through life, then falls

The shape of the table is the normal arc of a financial life. Early on, wealth is low or even negative: student loans and the first years of a mortgage mean many under-35s owe nearly as much as they own. Through your thirties, forties and fifties the mortgage shrinks, savings build and the pension grows, so wealth climbs quickly.

It peaks just before and around retirement, at 65 to 74, when the mortgage is usually gone and the pension is at its fullest. After that it eases back, because retired households live partly by spending the wealth they spent decades building. A falling figure in later life is the plan working, not a problem. For more on how that pot is built, see how pensions work and how savings grow.

What counts as wealthy in the UK

The other common question is where the line for wealthy sits. On the same ONS round, a household needed total wealth of about £1,200,500 to sit in the wealthiest 10% in Great Britain. On the earlier 2018 to 2020 round, the richest 1% of households held more than £3.6 million.

Those numbers sound large, but remember they count property equity and pensions rather than cash alone. A couple in their sixties who own their home outright and hold two decent pensions can be near the top 10% line without ever feeling rich day to day, because almost none of it is spending money. It is a reminder that wealth and income are different things: a high net worth can sit alongside a tight monthly budget.

How to compare yourself fairly

These benchmarks are useful for context, but only if you compare like with like. Three things to keep in mind:

• Match the basis. The figures are whole households including pensions. Total your own wealth the same way, pension included, or you are comparing different things.
• A median is the middle, not a target. Half of all households sit below it, which is how a median works. Being under the line for your age is common and is not a failing.
• Your trend beats the benchmark. A national average is a snapshot of everyone else. The number that tells you most is your own, tracked every few months, moving in the right direction.

To put your own figure together in a couple of minutes, the net worth tracker adds up your assets and debts and gives you a single total to watch over time. For the method behind it, see tracking your net worth.

A note on the data

One thing to be straight about: in June 2025 the Office for Statistics Regulation removed the official-statistics accreditation from the Wealth and Assets Survey, citing concerns about the quality of the estimates, especially at a fine-grained level. The figures here are still the best published UK source for wealth by age and are widely cited, but they are best read as a broad guide rather than a precise score. Treat the bands as ballpark, not gospel.

Common questions

What is the average net worth by age in the UK?

Using the latest ONS Wealth and Assets Survey (April 2020 to March 2022), median total household wealth in Great Britain rises with age: about £15,200 for households headed by someone aged 16 to 24, £109,800 at 25 to 34, £209,600 at 35 to 44, £301,900 at 45 to 54, £496,500 at 55 to 64, and a peak of £502,500 at 65 to 74, before easing to £373,100 at 75 and over. These are per household, not per person, and they include private pension wealth.

Does this net worth figure include my pension?

Yes. The ONS total wealth figures include private pension wealth, which makes up about 35% of the total, alongside property (40%), financial wealth (14%) and physical items like cars and contents (10%). That is worth knowing, because many people picture net worth as just savings, investments and home equity. If you leave your pension out of your own total, expect to sit below these benchmarks.

What net worth is considered wealthy in the UK?

On the ONS figures for 2020 to 2022, a household needed total wealth of about £1,200,500 or more to sit in the wealthiest 10% in Great Britain. The richest 1% of households held more than £3.6 million on the earlier 2018 to 2020 round. Both figures count private pensions and property, so they are higher than a savings-only view of wealth would suggest.

Is the average net worth per person or per household?

Per household. The ONS measures total wealth by the age of the household reference person, so a couple's combined wealth sits against one age band. That is one reason the figures look high: a two-person household near retirement often holds two pensions and a jointly owned home. Comparing your own single-person total to a household benchmark is not like for like.

Why is my net worth lower than the figure for my age?

Often because the benchmark is a household total that includes a pension and property equity, and yours might not yet. The figures also peak just before retirement, so anyone earlier in life is meant to sit below them. A median is the middle household, not a target, and half of all households sit below it by definition. The useful comparison is your own trend over time, not a single national number.

Is this article financial advice?

No. It sets out published ONS figures and explains what they mean in plain English. The benchmarks are estimates for context, not a goal you have to hit, and nothing here is financial advice. For decisions about your own money, speak to a qualified adviser.

About this article

Written by the calcd team. We build UK money calculators and explain the numbers behind them in plain English. The figures come from the Office for National Statistics Wealth and Assets Survey, household total wealth in Great Britain, April 2020 to March 2022 (published January 2025), with percentile thresholds from the same survey. They are published estimates for context, not financial advice. Last updated June 2026.