Inequality in the UK

Child poverty is increasing and decreasing at the same time—here’s why

Over the long term, UK absolute child poverty is down while relative child poverty is stable. Each measure has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Do benefit fraud investigators outnumber super-rich tax inspectors 8:1?

The ratio is lower than this, and it’s hard to compare staffing levels for fundamentally different jobs.

Is Universal Credit driving people to food banks?

Trussell Trust research shows increases in food bank use in areas where Universal Credit has been rolled out. It’s difficult to measure the extent that one is causing the other.

Does the UK have the poorest regions in northern Europe?

The UK has six of the poorest 10 regions comparing GDP per person against nearby countries, but this doesn’t mean the people who live there are poorer.

Gender pay gap: what do the new figures tell us?

New figures reveal the gender pay gap among 10,000 UK employers.

Poverty in the UK: a guide to the facts and figures

Relative poverty, absolute poverty, and how the UK is faring.

Do the top 1% of earners pay 28% of the tax burden?

There aren’t any readily available figures for what proportion of all taxes the top 1% pays. This claim is just referring to income taxes.

How many children are homeless in England, Scotland and Wales?

How many children are living in temporary accommodation?

Are 400,000 more children in absolute poverty since 2010?

It’s not correct that absolute child poverty has risen by this much since 2010.

Social mobility and universities

We looked at the proportion of private school pupils going to Oxford and getting top jobs and the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds going to university.

About one in five people live in absolute or relative poverty if their housing costs are included

An estimated one in five people in the UK lives in absolute or relative poverty, after housing costs are taken into account.

Did 500,000 children need emergency food supplies last year?

About 437,000 emergency supplies were given to children last year.

Do women earn less than men in the UK?

In 2017, the median hourly wage for women working full time was about 9.1% less than the median hourly wage for men (excluding overtime). That’s £1.32 less per hour.

Are people in work using food banks?

15% of households that use Trussell Trust foodbanks include at least one person with some work or employment income.

How have wages changed over the past decade?

Average wages have fallen and are starting to recover. Even as the average wage fell, many people's wages were going up.

Was the private sector hit hardest by the recession?

Private sector wages dropped much more rapidly than public sector wages during the recession. They began recovering as public sector wages slowed. In recent years the gap between the two has narrowed again.

Are most working age people in poverty also in work?

People in poverty have been increasingly likely to be in a family where someone has a job.

Income tax cuts for basic rate payers

Increases to the income tax personal allowance have taken millions out of income tax, although those on low incomes have been hit elsewhere.

Ask Full Fact: have the Conservatives redefined child poverty?

They haven’t changed what’s counted or how it’s counted. They did change the target.

SNP Manifesto: Future child poverty

Child poverty is projected to rise on a number of measures by 2021.

Labour Manifesto: Food banks

We've factchecked claims from Jeremy Corbyn's speech at the Labour party manifesto launch.

Labour Manifesto: Rich and Poor

We've factchecked claims from Jeremy Corbyn's speech at the Labour party manifesto launch.

Fifty years of income inequality

The poor are less poor… but the rich are much richer.