The Households Below Average Income (HBAI) report presents information on UK living standards based on household income measures for financial year ending (FYE) 2022. 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 UK’s official source of poverty estimates and, with a larger sample size, are the main source on household and individual incomes.

The HBAI statistics are commonly referred to as ‘poverty statistics’ which show the number or percentage of people living in poverty. This 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. This publication additionally includes measures of ‘material deprivation’, which provide an indication of peoples’ ability to access or afford a range of everyday goods and services. Statistics are also included on household food security, which measure the percentage of households considered to have access to sufficient, varied food to facilitate an active and healthy lifestyle.

As with FYE 2021, collection of the FYE 2022 Family Resources Survey (FRS) data was affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Although government restrictions introduced in response to the pandemic were significantly eased over the course of the survey year, the change in survey mode from established face-to-face interviews to telephone interviews in response to the pandemic persisted for the duration of the survey year 2021 to 2022. This affected both the size and composition of the achieved sample.