Britain’s wealth divide WIDENS: the average worker needs to work 52 years to catch up with top 10%

New report warns families will never catch up as £17 trillion wealth mountain soars beyond reach of ordinary workers

Britain is now sitting on a staggering £17 trillion in household wealth, yet a devastating new report lays bare how this mountain of money is concentrated in the hands of the few—leaving millions of families stuck on the wrong side of a divide they may never cross.

The landmark study from the Resolution Foundation, reveals that despite record growth in wealth during the pandemic years, the gulf between the rich and everyone else has only grown wider.

The richest 10 per cent of households continue to own half of the nation’s wealth, but behind that “stability” lies a brutal truth: the cash gap between the wealthy elite and families in the middle has ballooned to £1.3 million per adult, the equivalent of 52 years’ worth of typical wages.

Driven by surging house prices, ballooning pensions, and passive gains that reward those who already own assets, the divide between generations has exploded. People in their 60s are now sitting on more than double the wealth of those in their 30s. London is the epicentre of inequality, where the richest tenth own 12 times more wealth than the average family.

The pandemic, once hailed as a “great financial leveller,” in fact deepened divisions. The wealthiest families boosted their savings by more than £4,000, while the poorest scraped together just £80—if they saved at all. Many low-income households actually slid backwards, falling into arrears and entering the cost-of-living crisis already on the brink.

And the grim reality? Mobility is virtually non-existent. The vast majority of people barely move at all on the wealth ladder, no matter how hard they work or save. Owning a home remains the golden ticket—mostly reserved for higher earners—while a single health setback can wipe out years of progress for families lower down the scale.

The conclusion is stark: Britain’s wealth machine is rigged for the few, and saving alone will never deliver a fairer future. Without radical reform, the next generation risks being permanently locked out of prosperity, watching from the sidelines as the wealthy tighten their grip.