UK real household disposable income per head

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), series CRXZ. Quarterly, with the quarterly national accounts about three months after the quarter ends, 7am; next release 22 December 2026

UK real household disposable income per head: every value, by year, with a CSV download →

What it measures

Real household disposable income (RHDI) per head is the money households have left to spend or save after taxes and other deductions, adjusted for the prices of the things households buy and divided by the population. It includes wages, self-employment income, pensions, benefits and investment income, minus income tax, National Insurance, council tax and similar payments. The figure shown is the percentage change from the previous quarter. It is a national accounts measure of the household sector as a whole, so it describes an average, not the income of a typical household; see median household income for that.

How to read it

Quarter-on-quarter changes are erratic, because one-off payments, tax changes and benefit upratings fall in particular quarters; a fall followed by a rise of similar size is common. For a steadier view compare the same quarter a year earlier, which the ONS publishes as series CRYA. RHDI is converted to real terms using the price of household spending, not CPI, so it can differ from simple comparisons of pay and inflation. Because it is an aggregate divided by population, faster population growth lowers the per-head figure. The data are revised often, especially when the annual Blue Book is published.

Background

The ONS quarterly series begins in 1955. The largest quarterly rise in the series is 6.4%, in April to June 1972, and the largest fall is 4.0%, in April to June 1966. On the year-on-year measure (CRYA), the steepest fall in the series was 5.8% in April to June 2022. The ONS publishes RHDI per head with each quarterly national accounts release, and the OBR forecasts it in each Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Other parts of the UK

ONS regional gross disposable household income (GDHI), by region and local area

What is the latest change in real household disposable income?

When this page was checked on 13 October 2026, the ONS estimated that real household disposable income per head rose by 1.0% in April to June 2026, after a fall of 0.8% in January to March 2026. These figures were published on 30 September 2026 in the quarterly national accounts; the next estimate was due on 22 December 2026.

Is real household disposable income a measure of living standards?

It is one of the main official measures. The OBR forecasts it in its Economic and Fiscal Outlook when describing the prospects for living standards. It is an average for the whole household sector, so it does not show how income is spread between households; the DWP's Households Below Average Income statistics cover that.

Why does RHDI differ from real pay?

Real pay covers earnings from employment only. RHDI also includes benefits, pensions, self-employment and investment income, and subtracts taxes, and it uses a different price measure. Changes in taxes or interest income can move RHDI even when pay is unchanged.

What is the difference between RHDI and GDP per head?

GDP per head measures the output of the whole economy divided by the population. RHDI per head measures the income that ends up with households after taxes and benefits. The two can move in opposite directions, for example when import prices rise faster than domestic prices.

Related questions

• What is the median household income in the UK?
• Are wages rising faster than inflation in the UK?
• How many people are in poverty in the UK?
• What is UK GDP per capita?

More on this source: UK poverty and household income statistics (DWP, ONS, DESNZ, Low Pay Commission and devolved governments)