Pensioner poverty
Key points
- London has the highest proportion of pensioners living in low income households.
- The proportion of London's pensioners living in low-income households has steadily fallen since the late 1990s.
- This fall is reducing the differences between regions in the proportions of pensioners in low-income households.
The proportion of pensioners in low-income households, over time
What does this graph show?
The proportion of pensioners in low-income households is 27% in Inner London and 19% in Outer London. Both these proportions are far lower than they were at the end of the previous decade when 42% of pensioners in Inner London and 26% in Outer London were in low-income households.
Following these decreases, the differences between regions in the proportion of pensioners in low-income households are much less marked than they were either for children or working-age adults. The difference between London, the highest rate, and the South East, the lowest rate, is now only about 5%.
The comparison between Inner and Outer London is slightly different for pensioners than for children and working-age adults. In particular, such is the low pensioner population in London, especially Inner London, that despite the high rates of pensioner poverty compared to other regions, only 5% of pensioners in low-income households in England live in Inner London, and only 13% live in the whole of London.
The current Government has prioritised reducing pensioner poverty. Its introduction of the Pension Credit has played a large role in reducing the numbers in low-income households. most notably because the Guarantee Credit usually takes pensioners who claim it above the AHC poverty threshold.
Data used
Households Below Average Income series, Department for Work and Pensions
Indicator last updated: 18 May 2009