UK Wealth by Age: Median Household Net Worth

The detail

Household wealth follows a clear life-cycle pattern: people accumulate property, pensions and savings through their working lives, peak around retirement, then draw down. The ONS Wealth and Assets Survey (April 2020 to March 2022) shows median household total net wealth by age of the household head rising from £15,200 (16-24) to £71,300 (25-34), £163,900 (35-44), £298,800 (45-54), £431,000 (55-64) and a peak of £502,500 (65-74), before falling to £357,500 for those aged 75 and over.

The jump between the 25-34 and 55-64 bands - from £71,300 to £431,000, roughly a sixfold increase - is driven mainly by two things: paying down a mortgage so that net property wealth grows, and decades of private and workplace pension contributions compounding. Both are largely illiquid, which is why younger households can look asset-poor even on a good salary.

The dip after 65-74 does not mean older pensioners are worse off in real terms; it reflects retirees spending down financial assets and, in some cases, downsizing property, while the very oldest cohorts also had fewer years of workplace pension saving under auto-enrolment. The 65-74 peak of £502,500 is more than seven times the 25-34 median of £71,300.

A caveat on the data: the Office for Statistics Regulation removed the Wealth and Assets Survey accreditation in June 2025 over quality and response-rate concerns, so treat the age-band figures as indicative. For the overall picture and how wealth compares with income, see our average net worth and average savings pages.