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.
Wealth concentration
How much of a group's total wealth is held by a small number of its people or households.
What it means
Wealth is concentrated when a small group owns a large share of the total. One way to show this is to ask what share belongs to the wealthiest 10% or 1%. The answer depends on what counts as wealth and whether people or whole households are being compared. Income is different: it is money coming in over time, rather than wealth already owned.
Example
Imagine 100 households whose combined net worth is £10 million. If the wealthiest 10 households together own £6 million, the top 10% hold 60% of the total wealth in this made-up group.
Why it matters
An average wealth figure can rise even if most households see little change. Looking at who holds the wealth adds useful context.
Related terms
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Gini coefficient
A single number showing how unevenly income or wealth is spread across a group.
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Net worth
The value of what someone owns, minus what they owe.
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Top 1% wealth share
The share of all measured wealth owned by the wealthiest one in every hundred people or households.
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Wealth inequality
The gap between people in what they own, after subtracting what they owe.
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Wealth percentile
A point on a wealth ranking divided into hundredths, showing how someone's wealth compares with others'.
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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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