Key Takeaways
- UK savings rise sharply with age: from roughly £2,500 in your early 20s to over £100,000 by your mid-60s, though the exact figure depends heavily on which survey you check.
- There are two very different “average savings by age” data sets in circulation, one from the ONS Wealth and Assets Survey, one from a 2026 Finder/Censuswide consumer survey, and we explain why they don’t match below.
- Men report higher average savings than women at every life stage (£23,912 vs £14,464 overall), and the gap is narrowest under 35.
- “Household” and “individual” savings are not the same thing. Our main table is per person; UK household wealth is a separate, larger figure.
- Averages are skewed by a wealthy minority. Roughly 1 in 6 UK adults has no savings at all.
Disclaimer
This post is not to be considered as financial advice or UK tax advice. This is for educational purposes only. Investment returns do vary and this is an illustrative example. When you invest your capital is at risk.
Wondering if your savings stack up? The honest answer: it depends which survey you believe. One data set says the average 25 to 34 year old has £3,544, another says £11,023, and neither tells you why. We’ve pulled together the real figures, by age, gender, region and ISA balance, explained why the numbers disagree, and shown you what you should actually be aiming for at every stage.
Table of Contents
Why average savings figures don't always match
Search for average savings by age and you’ll find wildly different numbers on different sites. That’s not because anyone’s making figures up. It’s because “average savings by age” isn’t one dataset, it’s several, and they measure different things.
The ONS Wealth and Assets Survey is the official government survey of household wealth in Great Britain. It measures net financial wealth at a household level, and its most recent full release covers April 2020 to March 2022. The ONS has actually suspended its own accreditation of this survey from that round onwards over data quality concerns, and the next full release still hasn’t appeared as of mid-2026. That’s a genuine gap in the official picture most sites don’t mention.
Because of that gap, many of the “average savings by age” figures quoted online, including some of the numbers further down this page, actually come from a survey Finder commissions from Censuswide each year, not from the ONS. It’s a legitimate survey of around 2,000 UK adults, but it’s self-reported and uses a different sample and definition to the ONS data, which is why the numbers don’t match.
We’ve used both below, clearly labelled, so you can see where each figure comes from.
Average savings by age in the UK
Here’s the most widely-cited breakdown, understood to derive from ONS Wealth and Assets Survey estimates (see the note above on why the ONS hasn’t published a like-for-like table since 2022):
| 18 to 24-year-olds | £2,481 |
| 25 to 34-year-olds | £3,544 |
| 35 to 44-year-olds | £5,995 |
| 45 to 54-year-olds | £11, 013 |
| 55 to 64-year-olds | £20,028 |
| 65 to 74-year-olds | £113,600 |
As you can see, the highest average savings can be found in the older generation.
There are numerous reasons why younger age groups will have saved less such as having had less time to add to savings accounts, being paid lower wages and repaying student loans. Generally, younger people will have higher living expenses too.
The same UK savings statistics also reveal that the average British adult, regardless of age, has £19,214 put away.
The worrying thing here is that averages hide a lot. Around 16% of UK adults (roughly 8.9 million people) have no savings at all, and among 18 to 29 year olds that rises to about 20%. Even among the over-55s, 27.3% are sitting on £1,000 or less.
The figures factor in what people have in their current and savings accounts as well as both ISA types, cash ISAs and stocks and shares ISAs, also the likes of national savings bonds.
If you’re interested in using technology to help you save check out our best money-saving apps below.
The other widely-cited figures (Finder, 2026)
The other set of figures you’ll see quoted, this time from Finder’s 2026 consumer survey, tells a different story, particularly for the 25-44 age bracket:
| 18-24 | £2,699 |
| 25-34 | £11,023 |
| 35-44 | £13,379 |
| 45-54 | £12,452 |
| 55+ | £33,420 |
Source: Finder UK, 2026 Censuswide survey of 2,000 UK adults.
Let the latest technology help get you there with the best money savings apps.
Factors that affect savings in the UK
Age isn’t the only thing driving the numbers. These factors matter too:
Employment status
Employed people have the highest average savings, largely because workplace pensions are now automatic: employer pension contributions top up your pot every month.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown how few self-employed people pay into a pension, and volatile earnings make regular saving harder too.
Level of income
Average UK savings are also impacted by the amount that you earn. It makes sense that the more that you earn, the more disposable income you have and the more savings you have.
This translates to high income families having significant amounts saved when compared to low income families.
The average UK salary is now £39,039 for full-time workers (ONS, April 2025) and this is even higher in the capital with the average London salary at £47,455.
One example of how much savings people have according to income can be seen by looking at ISAs. Research shows that the median figure wage-wise when it comes to those who hold ISAs is between £20,000 and £29,999.
Those in this band tend to have ISAs with a value of £31,536. There are fewer people in higher income brackets that have ISAs purely down to the fact that fewer people earn higher amounts.
However, those that earn £150,000 or more have ISAs that are worth £94,894 on average.
Level of education
People with higher levels of education tend to save more, mostly because graduates tend to earn more, which means more disposable income.
Marital status
Married couples save more. Two incomes make it easier to put money aside, and marriage tends to push people to plan further ahead: retirement, an emergency fund, a growing family.
Average UK savings by gender
Men report higher average savings than women in the UK. According to Finder’s 2026 survey, men have £23,912 in savings on average, compared to £14,464 for women, a gap of roughly £9,400.
| Men | £23,912 |
| Women | £14,464 |
The gap isn’t consistent across every age group. It tends to be narrower for people under 35 and wider from midlife onwards. A few things drive this:
- Men are more likely to work continuously through their 30s and 40s, while women are still more likely to take time out of paid work for childcare, which reduces pension and savings contributions during those years.
- The UK’s gender pay gap means men, on average, earn more over their working life, and higher income tends to translate into higher savings.
- Investment ownership shows a similar pattern. Finder’s 2026 research found 66% of men have invested at some point, compared with 49% of women, and men are roughly twice as likely to hold a stocks and shares ISA (21% vs 11%).
Average household and regional savings in the UK
The figures above are per person, not per household, and it’s worth keeping the two separate. A two-income household will typically show combined savings well above any individual’s figure, simply by adding two people’s balances together.
Where you live also makes a big difference. Finder’s 2026 survey found average individual savings ranging from £8,421 in Northern Ireland up to £26,778 in the East of England:
| East of England | £26,778 |
| South East | £22,404 |
| Greater London | £21,266 |
| North West | £20,838 |
| West Midlands | £20,181 |
| South West | £19,819 |
| North East | £17,782 |
| East Midlands | £16,173 |
| Scotland | £14,642 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £14,181 |
| Wales | £12,038 |
| Northern Ireland | £8,421 |
Homeownership matters too. Government data (the English Housing Survey 2023 to 24) shows 79% of homeowners hold some form of savings, compared to 52% of private renters and just 28% of social renters, which lines up with the fact that mortgage-holders tend to be older and further along in their careers.
How much should you have saved by age?
Averages tell you what people actually have. They don’t tell you what you should aim for, and the two are very different questions. A common rule of thumb used by financial planners, based on your salary rather than a flat number, looks something like this:
- By 30: around 1x your annual salary saved and invested
- By 40: around 3x your annual salary
- By 50: around 6x your annual salary
- By 60: around 8x your annual salary
These figures include pensions, not just cash savings, so don’t panic if your savings account alone looks nowhere near these numbers. For a full breakdown of what counts, how realistic these targets are, and why most people are further behind (or ahead) than they think, read our guide on how much you should really have saved. If you want to see how your pension specifically compares, we’ve also broken down the average UK pension pot by age.
Average savings in ISAs by age
If you’re specifically asking how much you should have in a stocks and shares ISA by a certain age, ISA-specific data is actually more reliable than general savings surveys, because it comes from HMRC’s own records rather than a self-reported poll. The most recent HMRC figures (published September 2025, covering the 2022 to 2023 tax year) show average ISA holdings rising sharply with age:
| Under 25 | £8,288 |
| 25-34 | £10,556 |
| 35-44 | £14,254 |
| 45-54 | £25,316 |
| 55-64 | £41,311 |
| 65+ | £64,386 |
So if you’re 64 and wondering how your stocks and shares ISA compares, £64,386 is the average across all ISA holders aged 65 and over, cash and stocks and shares combined. Bear in mind this average includes long-term savers who’ve been contributing for decades, and that under-25s have the highest active-saving rate of any age group even though their balances are smallest. For help choosing between account types, see our guide on cash ISA vs stocks and shares ISA.
Tips for saving money
Average savings by age are just that: an average.
There are steps that you can take to boost your net financial wealth and open up the opportunity to save more than is typical for your age group.
Here’s a look at how:
Set financial goals
If you want savings above the UK average, you need to know where you’re heading. Set goals for retirement, your emergency fund and other future plans, then work out how much you need to save to hit them.
Set your financial goals and track your spending with Gains, our free app.
Users get back an average of £1,091 a year. Download Gains free.
Create a budget
If you want to increase your monthly savings and go beyond the average amount, a solid household budget is a must. Plan for your monthly income and commit to an amount that you will save.
Understand your living expenses and trim back if necessary. If you stick to your budget, you should find that your disposable income increases and you put this into a savings account, stocks and shares ISAs or cash ISAs.
If you want to try and increase your household savings by budgeting, these are the steps that you’ll need to take:
- Understand what your net monthly income is
- Have a why in mind when it comes to setting your budget
- Be able to differentiate between fixed expenses and those that vary from month to month
- Pay down debt as a priority
- Recognise your other priority payments such as mortgage/rent and council tax
- Track your spending and see where you can save
As a rough benchmark, UK households saved 8.9% of their disposable income in early 2026, according to the official ONS saving ratio. Once essentials like rent, energy and council tax are covered, a more realistic split for most UK households is closer to 60% needs, 30% wants and 10% savings, rather than the classic 50/30/20 rule.
Let the latest technology help get you there with the best money savings apps.
Boost your income
Higher earners save more, it’s that simple. Ways to boost your income:
- Approaching your employer for a pay rise
- Looking for a higher paid job
- Exploring passive income opportunities
- Starting a side hustle
Make the most of saving and investment tools
Fintech banks like Monzo, Starling and Revolut make it easy to see where your money goes: they categorise your spending, round up purchases into savings pots, and some pay cashback.
On the investing side, apps like Etoro, Wealthify and InvestEngine have made stocks and shares accessible to everyone, and several include robo-advisors that build a portfolio around your attitude to risk.
FAQs
Final thoughts
Older usually means more saved, but income, education and marital status all play a part. The good news: you don’t have to be average. Boost your income, budget properly, and you can beat your age group’s numbers.
Savings are only one slice of the picture. Add property and pensions on top and you get the fuller benchmark: average net worth by age.
If you want to learn more about savings, and how to take control of your money, there are plenty of resources at Up the Gains that can help.
It’s also worth furthering your education with financial books such as Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi and Start Your FIRE by Dylan Redling and Allison Tom.
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Disclaimer: Content on this page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making a financially related decision.
