Households below average income (HBAI) statistics
Statistics on the number and percentage of people living in low-income households in the UK.
These publications provide statistics and commentary on living standards in UK households, as determined by disposable income. They include the number and percentage of people living in low-income households, and changes in income patterns over time.
Find future households below average income (HBAI) statistics release dates in our statistics release calendar.
There is more about DWP statistics on the Statistics at DWP page.
Email team.hbai@dwp.gov.uk with any questions or feedback.
Changes to the latest release
Updated Material Deprivation Measures in the 2023 to 2024 HBAI release
Material deprivation estimates in the 2023 to 2024 HBAI release are based on updated material deprivation measures. This follows a review of material deprivation by the London School of Economics and Political Science and the inclusion of updated material deprivation questions in the Family Resources Survey for 2023 to 2024.
A technical report has been published alongside the 2023 to 2024 HBAI release setting out the analysis and decisions underpinning the updated material deprivation measures. This report presents analysis of the 2023 to 2024 estimates based on the old and the updated measures but users should note the old and updated measures are not comparable.
Treatment of cost of living support schemes, Warm Home Discount and Scottish Winter Heating Payment
During 2023 to 2024 the government implemented additional support for families with several cost of living support schemes, depending on people’s circumstances. There were changes to these schemes in 2023 to 2024 that were first introduced in 2022 to 2023. The Cost of Living Payments reflecting the support in 2023 to 2024 are included in the 2023 to 2024 HBAI estimates of household income.
Additionally, income received in respect of the Warm Home Discount and the Scottish Winter Heating Payment is included in the 2023 to 2024 HBAI estimates of household income.
Correction to level of educational attainment
In the HBAI 2022 to 2023 publication an issue with the FRS variable EDUCQUAL was identified. This variable is used to present estimates of low income for working-age adults by their level of educational attainment. Estimates were withdrawn from the HBAI 2022 to 2023 publication, affecting the following tables: 5.3db BHC, 5.3db AHC, 5.6db and 5.9db. The 2022 to 2023 EDUCQUAL breakdown was also removed from Stat-Xplore.
For 2023 to 2024, data for the FRS variable EDUCQUAL has been corrected and validated and relevant estimates have been re-instated in tables 5.3db BHC,5.3db AHC, 5.6db and 5.9db.
During the investigation of the issues identified with the EDUCQUAL variable it was found that issues were present for several survey years, dating at least to 2019 to 2020. Work will continue to provide revised outputs for historical HBAI datasets and an update will be available in due course.
Correction to cost of living support schemes for 2022 to 2023
In the 2022 to 2023 HBAI release, one element of the low income benefits and tax credits Cost of Living Payment was not included, which impacted on the Family Resources based publications and therefore HBAI income estimates for this year.
Revised 2022 to 2023 data has been included in the time series and trend tables in the 2023 to 2024 HBAI release. Stat-Xplore and the underlying dataset has also been updated to reflect the revised 2022 to 2023 data.
Other developments
Developments to Family Resources Survey for 2024 to 2025
There are several planned developments to the Family Resources Survey data for 2024 to 2025 survey year. This includes: plans to revise the grossing back series and integrate DWP administrative data and linked to this, reviewing the reference date for the absolute low-income measure in HBAI. For more details please see: Family Resources Survey: release strategy - GOV.UK
Universal Credit Low Income Estimates Development
As noted in the Statistical work programme we are proposing to develop a measure of low income for families in receipt of Universal Credit (UC). The measure would be produced from UC administrative data and cover numbers and percentages of UC families in low income, with guidance on similarities and differences compared with DWP’s other published low income measures such as Households Below Average Income and Children in Low Income Families. The measure would be available for local authorities and potentially local authority wards. It would also be available more frequently than annually (potentially quarterly) and with a short time lag compared with the reference period. For further information about or to comment on this proposed development, please contact stats.consultation-2018@dwp.gov.uk.
Children in Low Income Families (CiLIF) Statistics Development
DWP plan to publish a paper on proposals for developing After Housing Costs measures of local area child poverty statistics and will be seeking users’ views: Children in low income families: local area statistics. We are seeking user views by 31st July 2025. Comments and feedback from users are welcome by emailing stats.consultation-2018@dwp.gov.uk.
Below Average Resources
DWP are developing a new poverty measure named ‘Below Average Resources’ (BAR) based on the approach proposed by the Social Metrics Commission (SMC). The BAR approach provides a more expansive view of available resources (both savings and inescapable costs) than the income measurement adopted under HBAI, and includes some methodological changes proposed by the SMC.
The latest Official Statistics in Development publication in the series was published in January 2025.
DWP sought user feedback on the new poverty measure through an analytical consultation. The consultation response has now been published.
HBAI data on Stat-Xplore
HBAI data is available from financial year ending (FYE) 1995 to FYE 2024 on the Stat-Xplore online tool. You can use Stat-Xplore to create your own HBAI analysis. Please note that data for FYE 2021 is not available on Stat Xplore and estimates by educational attainment of the individual are not currently available for FYE 2023.
HBAI information is available at an individual level, and uses the net, weekly income of their household. Breakdowns allow analysis of individual, family (benefit unit) and household characteristics of the individual.
Read the user guide to HBAI data on Stat-Xplore.
We are seeking feedback from users on the HBAI data in Stat-Xplore – email team.hbai@dwp.gov.uk with your comments.
Latest release
Background information and guidance
Access the underlying data used to produce the statistics through the UK data archive.
Read a guide to sources of data on earnings and income published by the Office for National Statistics.
Previous releases
Find archived HBAI reports on the National Archives website.
Updates to this page
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Added latest release: "Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024".
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Added information to the page that the next release of Households below average income (HBAI) statistics will be published on 27 March 2025.
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Removed content relating to the changes to the next release of Households Below Average Income and added Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2023 to the collection.
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Added information to the page about changes to the next release of the Households Below Average Income statistics. The next release will be published on 21 March 2024.
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Amended link to 'Read a guide to sources of data on earnings and income published by the Office for National Statistics', under heading 'Background information and guidance'.
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Removed content relating to the changes to the next release of Households Below Average Income and added Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2022 to the collection.
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Added information about the next release of HBAI statistics, due to be published on 23 March 2023.
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Added a link to the latest release of HBAI statistics: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2021.
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Added a note about the next release of HBAI statistics (due to be published on 31 March). Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the range of statistics we publish, this year’s statistical release will be more limited than in previous years.
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Added a note about the information in the next release of HBAI statistics, this will be published on 31 March 2022.
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Added information about the 2022 review of the material deprivation questions in the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
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Added a link to the latest release of these statistics: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2020.
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Added a note about the information in the next release of HBAI statistics, this will be published on 25 March 2021.
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Added a link to 'Households below average income: 1994/95 to 2018/19'.
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Added a link to a statistical notice about the development of a new measure of poverty.
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Revised information about Stat-Xplore, including a link to an updated version of the user guide to HBAI data on Stat-Xplore.
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Added a link to 'Households below average income: 1994/95 to 2017/18'.
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Added information that HBAI data is now available on Stat-Xplore - an online tool that lets you create customised tabulations and view results in interactive charts.
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Added 'Households below average income: 1994/1995 to 2016/2017'.
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Published Households below average income: 1994/1995 to 2015/2016.
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Published a statistical notice about a change in methodology for the HBAI report, to take effect for the 2015/16 publication.
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Published Households below average income: 1994/1995 to 2014/2015.
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Added link to background information about a new statistics publication 'Income dynamics' due to be published in February/March 2017.
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Published Households below average income: 1994/1995 to 2013/2014.
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Published Households below average income (HBAI) stats for 1994/95 to 2012/13.
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Added "Re-grossed Households below average income (HBAI) estimates 2002/03 to 2011/12"
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Published next release date for these statistics (1 July 2014).
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Published new statistical note confirming changes to the 2012/13 HBAI report, provisionally scheduled for publication in June 2014.
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Link added to statistical notice about proposed changes to future publications
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First published.