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.
Key term
What it means
Income inequality describes how much the money people receive differs from person to person or household to household. Income can include pay, pensions, benefits and money from savings or shares. Some figures show income before tax is paid and benefits are added; others show what people have afterwards. Check which is being compared.
Example
If one group of households receives a much bigger share of all income than another group, income is unevenly shared.
Why it matters
A country can grow richer overall without everyone's income rising together.
Related terms
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Equivalised income
Household income adjusted so that households of different sizes can be compared more fairly.
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Gini coefficient
A single number showing how unevenly income or wealth is spread across a group.
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Income decile
One of ten equally sized groups formed by putting people or households in order of income.
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Labour share of income
The share of income generated in an economy that goes to people for their work.
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Median household income
The middle household income when households are put in order from lowest income to highest.
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Net worth
The value of what someone owns, minus what they owe.
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Social mobility
How people's income, work or other life outcomes compare with the circumstances they grew up in.
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Wealth inequality
The gap between people in what they own, after subtracting what they owe.
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Keep in the loop
News
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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