Version: 1.0.1 | Published: 19 Jun 2026 | Updated: 0 days ago
Households Below Average Income dataset – UK survey data
Dataset
Documentation
Description:
The Households Below Average Income HBAI dataset is a dataset that provides statistics on the number and percentage of people living in low-income households in the United Kingdom UK. Data is taken from the Family Resources Survey a continuous household survey which collects information on a representative sample of private households in the United Kingdom. The Family Resources Survey FRS has been running continuously since 1992 to meet the information needs of the Department for Work and Pensions DWP.
It is almost wholly funded by DWP. Note some households in the FRS dataset are removed for HBAI data these include households containing absent spouses where reliable income information cannot be obtained.
The annual Households Below Average Income HBAI report presents information on UK living standards based on household income measures for each financial year. Estimates are provided for average incomes income inequality and for the number and percentage of people living in low-income households. The statistics are the UKs primary source of poverty estimates and with a larger sample size are also the main source on household incomes.
The HBAI statistics are commonly referred to as 'poverty statistics' which show the number or percentage of people living in poverty. The HBAI publication uses terms such as income statistics and people living in low-income households to describe more precisely what the data reflects. Although low income is a significant aspect of poverty there are other aspects of poverty too. The HBAI publication also includes measures of material deprivation which provide an indication of peoples ability to access or afford a range of everyday goods and services. Supporting statistics are also provided on household food security levels and prevalence of food bank usage for all individuals in the UK including those in low-income households.
HBAI statistics are used to monitor progress against three of the four income-related measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Act. The annual HBAI report and accompanying data are used extensively for costings and policy development by the Department and across a range of Government Departments and for answering Parliamentary Questions and and hoc queries. The data is also provided to the Scottish Government Northern Ireland Executive and Welsh Government to produce poverty statistics.
HBAI is an accredited official statistic whose results are published on the gov.uk website.
Each HBAI dataset contains amounts in latest publication prices. Following the release of the latest data the full back series of HBAI data on the SRS will be updated to be in the latest publication year prices.
Coverage
Spatial
Spatial Coverage:
- England
- Wales
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
- Great Britain
- United Kingdom
Geographical Levels:
local government district
Temporal
Start Date:
01 April 2009
Latest Data:
31 March 2024
Frequency:
ANNUAL
Distribution Release Date:
19 June 2026
Provenance
Source:
Survey
Access and Governance
Usage
Condition of Access:
Access needs approval
Condition of Use:
Output required for approval
Resource Creator:
Department for Work & Pensions
Access
Access Service:
- Safe Rooms, SafePods
- Assured Organisational Connectivity – office based
- Assured Organisational Connectivity – remote access
- Safe Rooms
Jurisdictions:
- GB-EAW
- GB-SCT
- GB-NIR
Data Controller:
Department for Work & Pensions
Access Level:
Access Level 3
Format and Standards
Languages:
en
Formats:
CSV
Enrichment and Linkage
Related Datasets:
Family Resources Survey - UK
Origin
Name:
ONS SRS Metadata Catalogue