32+ UK savings statistics (April 2026)
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Top UK savings statistics
- In 2026, 16% of UK adults have no savings at all. (Finder)
- 39% of Britons have £1,000 or less in savings, and 25% have £200 or less. (Finder)
- People in the UK save about 9.5% of their income: more than the US (4.7%), but less than France (18.37%) and Germany (10.7%). (World Population Review)
- The average UK savings balance is £19,214. (Finder)
- More than 4.7B Bank of England notes are in circulation, worth about £86B. (Bank of England)
Savings in the UK are shaped by age, gender, and where people live. Older adults and wealthier regions hold more substantial savings, while younger groups and lower-income areas often lack even basic financial buffers.
- Britons under 55 have an average of £9,888 in savings. (Finder)
Age group | Average savings (£) |
|---|---|
18-24 | £2,699 |
25-34 | £11,023 |
35-44 | £13,379 |
45-54 | £12,452 |
55+ | £33,420 |
- The average emergency savings pot is £5,776. (NatWest)
How much do you have in emergency funds? | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
£0 - I don’t have an emergency fund | 20% |
£1-£200 | 7% |
£201-£400 | 4% |
£401-£600 | 4% |
£601-£800 | 3% |
£801-£1,000 | 4% |
£1,001-£1,500 | 5% |
£1,501-£2,000 | 3% |
£2,001-£2,500 | 3% |
£2,501-£3,000 | 2% |
£3,001-£4,000 | 2% |
£4,001-£5,000 | 3% |
£5,001-£6,000 | 3% |
£6,001-£7,000 | 1% |
£7,501-£8,000 | 1% |
£8,001-£9,000 | 1% |
£9,001-£10,000 | 2% |
£10,001+ | 20% |
Not sure | 4% |
Prefer not to say | 8% |
- The average UK savings pot is £3,544 for 25-34-year-olds, compared with £20,029 for those aged 55 and over. (Raisin)
Age group | Average savings | % with £0 in savings | % with £100 or less in savings | % with £1,000 or less in savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
18-24 | £2,481.16 | 10.83% | 27.50% | 50.83% |
25-34 | £3,544.16 | 12.38% | 21.78% | 42.08% |
35-44 | £5,995.92 | 7.91% | 12.99% | 33.33% |
45-54 | £11,013.99 | 6.34% | 11.22% | 25.85% |
55+ | £20,028.60 | 2.23% | 7.59% | 18.08% |
- Men hold an average of £23,912 in savings, compared with £14,464 for women. (Finder)
- 20% of Gen Z and 17% of Millennials have no savings. (Finder)
Generation | Age range | Share with no savings |
|---|---|---|
Gen Z | 18-29 | 20% |
Millennials | 30-45 | 17% |
Gen X | 46-61 | 19% |
- Londoners save the most, averaging £364.80 per month. (NatWest)
- People in the East of England have the highest average savings: £26,778. (Finder)
Region | Savings | % with £1000 or less | % with no savings |
|---|---|---|---|
East of England | £26,778 | 33.0% | 11.2% |
South East | £22,404 | 37.8% | 18.4% |
Greater London | £21,266 | 34.5% | 11.2% |
North West | £20,838 | 38.2% | 15.6% |
West Midlands | £20,181 | 41.7% | 19.4% |
South West | £19,819 | 35.5% | 15.7% |
North East | £17,782 | 38.8% | 15.0% |
East Midlands | £16,173 | 38.5% | 21.0% |
Scotland | £14,642 | 44.6% | 18.1% |
Yorkshire and The Humber | £14,181 | 40.5% | 16.0% |
Wales | £12,038 | 46.7% | 19.6% |
Northern Ireland | £8,421 | 53.6% | 19.6% |
Most Britons save small amounts monthly, with income largely determining how much they can afford to set aside.
- UK adults save an average of £288 per month. (NatWest)
Monthly savings amount | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
N/A - I don’t save anything in a month | 12% |
£1-£49 | 16% |
£55-£99 | 13% |
£100-£199 | 16% |
£200-£500 | 17% |
£500-£999 | 9% |
£1000+ | 6% |
I don’t save anything | 5% |
Prefer not to say | 6% |
- 48% of Britons save money monthly, making it the most common savings habit. (NatWest)
How often do you put money in your savings? | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
Daily | 2% |
Weekly | 10% |
Monthly | 48% |
Every other month | 7% |
Once every three months | 5% |
Every six months | 2% |
Once a year | 1% |
I did not add to my savings | 8% |
N/A – I don’t have savings | 6% |
Only when I can afford it | 9% |
Prefer not to say | 2% |
- About 32% of UK adults rely on their banks/building societies for savings advice, making this the most trusted source. (NatWest)
Where are you most likely to go for information about savings? | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
My bank/building society | 36% |
Experts such as Martin Lewis | 32% |
Family or friends | 30% |
Financial adviser | 28% |
Reputable financial websites | 22% |
Most Britons want to save for security, but high living costs make it hard to maintain a consistent savings habit. This pressure pushes saving toward short-term goals, weakens confidence, and leaves long-term priorities like retirement underfunded.
- Rising grocery costs are the biggest barrier to saving for Brits (43%), followed by higher energy bills (35%). (NatWest)
What, if anything, is currently impacting your ability to save money? | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
Increased grocery costs | 43% |
Increased energy costs (gas and electricity) | 35% |
Rising fuel costs (e.g., petrol/diesel) | 22% |
Unexpected expenses (e.g., car repairs) | 22% |
N/A – nothing is impacting my ability to save money | 17% |
Home maintenance/improvements | 17% |
Debt repayments (e.g., mortgage, credit card, overdraft, loans, etc.) | 16% |
Concerns about inflation | 14% |
Spending on social activities (e.g., eating out, nights out, holidays) | 13% |
Drop in income | 12% |
Increase in rent | 12% |
Overspending on non-essentials or experiences | 11% |
Change in personal or family circumstances | 10% |
Cost of commuting (e.g., trains, buses, etc.) | 9% |
- Financial security is the top reason Brits save (16%), ahead of emergency funds (14%) and retirement (15%). (NatWest)
What’s your primary motivation for saving? | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
Financial security | 16% |
Retirement | 14% |
Not sure / none in particular | 13% |
Holiday and travel | 9% |
Building an emergency fund | 8% |
Covering unexpected costs | 6% |
- Only 35% of Britons felt confident and in control of their savings in 2025. (Raisin)
- Britons are most likely to save for holidays (31%) and emergencies (30%). (Raisin)
What Britons are saving for | Share |
|---|---|
Holidays | 31% |
Emergencies | 30% |
House deposit (ages 18-24) | 23% |
Retirement (ages 55+) | 32% |
- Only 23% of Brits actively save for retirement. (Raisin)
- The most common savings mistake is dipping into savings too often, affecting 26% of Britons and 31% of those aged 16 to 24. (Raisin)
- UK adults intend to save an average of £7,535 in 2026. (Nationwide)
- The top reasons to save are emergency funds (43%), holidays (36%), and retirement (23%). (Nationwide)
UK savings are dominated by traditional banks and simple account types, with most adults holding money in easy-access deposits.
- Traditional banks remain the top choice for savings accounts, with 37% of Brits using them. (Raisin)
- UK household savings reached 10.9% in Q1 2025. (Statista)
- UK gross savings exceeded $560.1B in 2024. (Statista)
- 57% of UK adults have a savings account with a bank, building society, or NS&I. (Statista)
- In the first half of 2025, interest-bearing sight deposits were the largest savings type in the UK, with £903B in outstanding balances. (Statista)
- In 2022/23, there were nearly 14M adult and junior ISA subscriptions in the UK. (Statista)
- Total ISA contributions in the UK reached £73B in 2022/23. (Statista)
- In 2014/15, adult cash ISAs saw their highest average subscription, at over £5,900. (Statista)
- In 2022/23, there were nearly 9M cash ISA subscriptions in the UK. (Statista)
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