The typical UK adult with cash savings has £5,000 to £5,999, according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It rises with age, from £2,000 to £2,999 for 18 to 24 year olds up to £30,000 to £49,999 for people aged 75 and over.
Those are medians: the amount held by the person bang in the middle. The “average savings” you see quoted elsewhere are much higher, like £19,214 in Finder’s January 2026 poll, because a small number of people with big balances drag the average up. Below I’ve pulled together the official figures by age, gender and region, and explained why every site seems to have a different number.
Prefer to watch? Here’s the video on average savings by age.
Average savings by age in the UK
These are the latest official figures for individuals, from the FCA’s Financial Lives survey of 17,950 UK adults. The 2024 survey, published in May 2025, is the most recent. The typical amount is for people who have any cash savings at all.
| Age | Have any cash savings | Typical (median) cash savings |
|---|---|---|
| 18 to 24 | 82% | £2,000 to £2,999 |
| 25 to 34 | 86% | £3,000 to £3,999 |
| 35 to 44 | 87% | £3,000 to £3,999 |
| 45 to 54 | 89% | £4,000 to £4,999 |
| 55 to 64 | 93% | £10,000 to £14,999 |
| 65 to 74 | 95% | £20,000 to £29,999 |
| 75 and over | 97% | £30,000 to £49,999 |
| All adults | 90% | £5,000 to £5,999 |
Source: FCA, Financial Lives 2024 survey: cash savings (fieldwork February to June 2024, published May 2025). Cash savings means savings accounts, cash ISAs and any money in a current account that people think of as savings. Investments and pensions aren’t included.
The pattern is clear. Savings creep up slowly through your twenties, thirties and forties, then jump from your mid fifties. Younger people have had less time to save, tend to earn less, and are often paying rent, repaying student loans or saving for a deposit. Later in life the mortgage gets paid off, children leave home and pension tax-free cash arrives.
The higher “average savings” figures (Finder, 2026)
The other set of figures you’ll see everywhere comes from a poll of 2,000 adults that Finder commissions from Censuswide each year. The latest was carried out in January 2026. These are means (straight averages), so they’re much higher than the medians above.
| Age | Average (mean) savings | Have £1,000 or less |
|---|---|---|
| 18 to 24 | £2,699 | 61% |
| 25 to 34 | £11,023 | 46% |
| 35 to 44 | £13,379 | 43% |
| 45 to 54 | £12,452 | 41% |
| 55 and over | £33,420 | 27% |
| All adults | £19,214 | 39% |
Source: Finder, UK saving statistics (Censuswide poll of 2,000 adults in Great Britain, 12 to 14 January 2026, page updated 9 June 2026). Look at the last column: even among 35 to 44 year olds, where the average is over £13,000, more than four in ten people have £1,000 or less. That’s averages for you.
Why average savings figures don’t match
Search “average savings by age” and you’ll find wildly different numbers. Nobody is making them up. They’re measuring different things:
- Median or mean. The median is the middle person. The mean adds everyone’s savings up and divides by the number of people, so a few people with £200,000 pull it way up. The median is the fairer guide to what’s normal.
- Person or household. The FCA and Finder count individuals. The ONS counts whole households, so a couple’s savings are added together.
- Cash or everything. Some figures are cash only. Others include investments, and some take off debts like credit cards and loans.
- Official survey or quick poll. The FCA and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) run big official surveys. Finder’s is an online poll of 2,000 people: useful, but less precise.
One more thing most sites don’t mention. The ONS Wealth and Assets Survey is the official measure of household wealth in Great Britain, but its latest results cover April 2020 to March 2022 (published January 2025). The ONS has also suspended the survey’s accredited official statistics status from that round while it works on data quality, and no newer release has been scheduled. So treat it as a guide, not gospel.
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Average household savings by age
If you want the household picture, the ONS measures net financial wealth: savings and investments outside pensions, minus debts like credit cards and personal loans (mortgages aren’t counted). Here’s the median by the age of the household head, which is usually the person whose name the home is in.
| Age of household head | Median household net financial wealth |
|---|---|
| 16 to 24 | £100 |
| 25 to 34 | £1,300 |
| 35 to 44 | £5,600 |
| 45 to 54 | £7,200 |
| 55 to 64 | £15,600 |
| 65 to 74 | £32,300 |
| 75 and over | £25,800 |
| All households | £10,400 |
Source: ONS, Household total wealth in Great Britain: April 2020 to March 2022 (published 24 January 2025). These look lower than the FCA figures because debts are taken off, and younger households often owe about as much as they’ve saved.
Housing makes an even bigger difference than age. Households that owned their home outright had median financial wealth of £55,300, those with a mortgage £12,500 and renters just £900. For the full picture with property and pensions added in, see my guide to average net worth by age in the UK.
Average ISA savings by age
ISA figures are the most reliable of the lot because they come from HMRC’s own records, not a survey. The latest release (September 2026) shows ISA balances at April 2024. About 23 million adults, 42% of UK adults, held an ISA, with an average value of £37,831.
| Age | ISA holders | Average ISA value | Typical (median) holder has |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 24 | 1.31 million | £11,087 | Under £2,500 |
| 24 to 29 | 2.09 million | £12,167 | Under £2,500 |
| 30 to 35 | 2.21 million | £13,116 | Under £2,500 |
| 36 to 41 | 2.13 million | £14,590 | Under £2,500 |
| 42 to 50 | 3.05 million | £23,051 | £2,500 to £4,999 |
| 51 to 59 | 3.52 million | £36,549 | £10,000 to £14,999 |
| 60 to 65 | 2.45 million | £51,190 | £20,000 to £24,999 |
| 66 to 74 | 2.95 million | £66,994 | £25,000 to £34,999 |
| 75 and over | 3.32 million | £75,067 | £25,000 to £34,999 |
Source: HMRC, Annual savings statistics: September 2026, Table 9.11 (ISA values at 5 April 2024, cash and stocks and shares combined). I’ve grouped HMRC’s three-year age bands and worked out the typical holder from its value bands.
Two things jump out. First, the average is miles above what most people hold: until your early forties, more than half of ISA holders have less than £2,500 in them. Second, the type of ISA matters. People with only a cash ISA had £16,715 on average, while people with only a stocks and shares ISA had £66,165. Part of that is who invests (often older people and higher earners) and part is that invested money has had the chance to grow. When you invest, your capital is at risk.
You may have read that the cash ISA limit was being cut to £12,000 from April 2027. The 28 October 2026 Budget scrapped that, so everyone 18 and over can still put up to £20,000 a year into a cash ISA. I’ve covered what did change in the 2027 ISA changes explained, and how to choose between the two types in cash ISA vs stocks and shares ISA.
Read nextCashback on Fuel: What Actually Works in the UKAverage savings by gender
Men tend to have more saved than women, though the size of the gap depends on how you measure it.
| Measure | Men | Women | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical (median) cash savings | £7,000 to £7,999 | £5,000 to £5,999 | FCA Financial Lives 2024 |
| Average (mean) savings | £23,912 | £14,464 | Finder poll, January 2026 |
| Average ISA value | £39,370 | £36,371 | HMRC, April 2024 |
Women actually hold more ISAs than men (51% of all ISA holders, per HMRC), so the gap is in how much, not whether. Career breaks for childcare and the gender pay gap both mean lower pay and smaller contributions over a working life, and that shows up in savings and even more in pensions.
Average savings by region
HMRC’s ISA data is the best regional guide because it covers every ISA holder, not a sample.
| Region | Adults with an ISA | Average ISA value |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 46.6% | £45,303 |
| London | 39.3% | £43,300 |
| South West | 46.8% | £40,229 |
| East of England | 44.8% | £39,218 |
| Scotland | 37.5% | £37,078 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 40.3% | £35,023 |
| East Midlands | 42.2% | £33,984 |
| West Midlands | 40.3% | £33,233 |
| North West | 39.3% | £32,938 |
| Wales | 42.3% | £32,686 |
| North East | 37.5% | £30,218 |
| Northern Ireland | 31.6% | £29,551 |
| UK | 41.7% | £37,831 |
Source: HMRC, Annual savings statistics: September 2026, Table 9.12 (April 2024). Savings follow pay and house prices. The ONS found the same split for total household wealth, with the median in the South East (£489,800) more than twice that in the North East (£179,900).
How many people in the UK have no savings?
About one in ten UK adults have no cash savings at all, and another 21% have less than £1,000, according to the FCA’s Financial Lives 2024 survey. So roughly three in ten adults have under £1,000 to fall back on.
The same survey found 9% of adults could cover their living costs for less than a week if they lost their main income. Finder’s January 2026 poll puts the share with no savings higher, at 16%, but it’s a far smaller survey.
If that’s you, you’re not alone, and the first goal is small: a few hundred pounds, then one month of essential costs. My guide on how much to keep in an emergency fund walks you through it.
What affects how much people save
Age is only part of the story. These matter just as much:
- Income. The more you earn, the more is left after bills. HMRC’s figures show ISA holders earning £20,001 to £30,000 had £34,575 on average, against £103,315 for those on more than £150,000. For context, the typical full-time salary is £40,911 (ONS, April 2026). Here’s more on the average UK salary.
- Home ownership. Rent eats the money that would otherwise be saved, and owners tend to be older. That’s why renting households had median financial wealth of £900 against £55,300 for outright owners (ONS).
- Work. Households headed by a self-employed person had more financial wealth (median £13,000) than those headed by an employee (£8,800), according to the ONS. But the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown far fewer self-employed people pay into a pension, so savings often have to do that job too.
- Habits. UK households saved 8.8% of their disposable income (pay after tax) in April to June 2026, according to the ONS saving ratio.
How much should you have saved by your age?
Averages tell you what people have, not what you need. Two benchmarks are more useful:
- An emergency fund of three to six months of essential costs, the range MoneyHelper (the government-backed money guidance service) suggests.
- Long-term savings of about 1x your salary by 30, 2x by 40, 4x by 50 and 6x by 60, according to Fidelity International. That counts pensions as well as savings.
Most people are nowhere near those multiples in cash, and that’s fine, because pensions do most of the work. I’ve broken the targets down age by age, with what they look like on a typical salary, in how much should you really have saved. For pensions on their own, see the average pension pot by age.
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Get your free money planHow to beat the average for your age
An average is just that. Here’s what actually moves your number.
Set a goal and track it
If you want savings above the average for your age, you need to know where you’re heading. Set a goal for your emergency fund, then for the bigger stuff, and check in every month. Gains, our app, makes that easy: it pulls your accounts into one place so you can see where your money goes and track your goals.
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Budget first, then automate
A simple budget shows you what you can realistically save. Work out your take-home pay, separate fixed bills from spending that changes month to month, deal with debt and priority bills (rent or mortgage, council tax), then track where the rest goes. My 10 tips for a simple household budget go through it step by step.
The classic split is 50/30/20: half on needs, 30% on wants and 20% on savings and paying off debt. If your needs take more than half, trim wants first and keep something going to savings, even if it’s small. Try your own numbers here:
Get your savings out of your current account
Four in ten adults (40%) keep money they think of as savings in their current account, according to the FCA, where it usually earns little or nothing. Moving it to a savings account or cash ISA is the quickest win there is.
Use your ISA allowance
You can put up to £20,000 a year into ISAs, and the interest or growth is tax free. That matters more from 6 April 2027, when tax on savings interest outside an ISA goes up to 24% for basic rate taxpayers (44% higher rate, 49% additional rate). Most people still have a tax-free Personal Savings Allowance of £1,000 (£500 for higher rate taxpayers), but bigger pots will go over it.
Grow your income
Higher earners save more. It’s that simple. The main levers are:
- Asking your employer for a pay rise
- Looking for a better paid job
- Starting a side hustle
- Building income from your savings and investments over time
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See the appsFAQs
What’s the average savings for a 25-year-old in the UK?
For 25 to 34 year olds with cash savings, the typical (median) amount is £3,000 to £3,999 (FCA, 2024). Finder’s January 2026 poll puts the mean at £11,023, but 46% of that age group have £1,000 or less. Among ISA holders aged 24 to 29, the average is £12,167, though more than half have under £2,500 (HMRC).
What’s the average savings at 40 in the UK?
The typical 35 to 44 year old with cash savings has £3,000 to £3,999, rising to £4,000 to £4,999 for 45 to 54 year olds (FCA, 2024). Finder’s January 2026 poll gives a mean of £13,379 for 35 to 44 year olds. ISA holders aged 36 to 41 have £14,590 on average (HMRC).
How much should I have saved in my 30s?
Start with an emergency fund of three to six months of essential costs. For the long term, Fidelity International suggests about 1x your salary by 30 and 2x by 40, counting pensions as well as savings. Most of that usually sits in your workplace pension, not your bank account.
Do men or women have more savings in the UK?
Men, on most measures. The typical man with cash savings has £7,000 to £7,999 against £5,000 to £5,999 for women (FCA, 2024), and men’s average ISA is £39,370 against £36,371 for women (HMRC, April 2024). Women hold slightly more ISAs than men, so the gap is in the amounts.
What is the average household savings in the UK?
The median household had net financial wealth of £10,400 in April 2020 to March 2022, according to the ONS. That’s savings and investments outside pensions, minus debts like credit cards and loans. It’s the latest official household figure.
How much should I have in a stocks and shares ISA by 64?
There’s no set amount, because it depends on your pension and plans. For reference, ISA holders aged 60 to 65 had £51,190 on average, but the typical holder had £20,000 to £24,999 (HMRC, April 2024). Those figures mix cash and stocks and shares ISAs together.
How much does the average person save each month in the UK?
There’s no official monthly figure per person. The closest is the ONS household saving ratio: UK households saved 8.8% of their disposable income (pay after tax) in April to June 2026. On take-home pay of £2,500 a month, that would be £220.
What should I do with a lump sum?
A common order is to clear high-interest debt first, then build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential costs, then use your ISA allowance of £20,000 a year. The cash ISA limit is staying at £20,000 after the 28 October 2026 Budget scrapped the planned cut. If you’re unsure, MoneyHelper offers free guidance.
