Fuel and travel costs are pushing prices up again
Thursday 5 November 2026
Inflation has risen to 3.1%, meaning everyday spending is getting more expensive just as household budgets are already under pressure.
Gini coefficient
A single number showing how unevenly income or wealth is spread across a group.
What it means
For income, a Gini coefficient of 0 means everyone has the same income; a higher number generally means incomes are more unequal. Some reports use a scale from 0 to 1, others from 0 to 100. A score of 0.3 on the first scale is 30 on the second. The same idea can be used for wealth, but a Gini for income and one for wealth answer different questions. One number cannot show exactly who has gained or lost.
Example
If two reports give Gini figures of 0.30 and 30 for the same income data, they may be reporting the same result on different scales. Check the scale and what was measured before comparing them.
Why it matters
It helps compare inequality across places or years, but should be read alongside measures that show what is happening to particular groups.
Also known as
Gini index
Related terms
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Income decile
One of ten equally sized groups formed by putting people or households in order of income.
Read more -
Income inequality
The gap between people or households in the money they receive.
Read more -
Wealth concentration
How much of a group's total wealth is held by a small number of its people or households.
Read more -
Wealth inequality
The gap between people in what they own, after subtracting what they owe.
Read more
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Highlights from about the UK economy, the UK government and the UK public sector.
Mortgage relief will have to wait a little longer
Wednesday 4 November 2026
Interest rates are staying at 3.75%, so households with mortgages and other borrowing may have to wait longer for costs to come down.
Energy bills are going up as winter approaches
Wednesday 4 November 2026
A higher energy price cap means many households will be paying more to heat and power their homes during the colder months.
Guides and insights
Analysis
Clear, accessible analysis of the economic issues shaping everyday life
Living standards
What does a day’s work buy?
Comparing the cost of everyday life across generations, from bread and beer to buying a home.
Food & prices
The journey behind your grocery bill
How farming, energy, transport and supermarket competition shape the price on the shelf.
Prices & inflation
Inflation is falling. What happens next?
What slower price rises mean for wages, purchasing power and economic recovery.
Shared prosperity
What would shared prosperity look like?
Beyond GDP: how we could measure economic success through security, opportunity and living standards.
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