All you need to know about Households Below Average Income

On Thursday 21 March 2024, the annual Households Below Average Income (HBAI) report will be released by the Department for Work and Pensions. This report presents information on UK living standards based on household income measures for 2022/23. 2022/23 is the most recent data available as there is a one-year data lag; it takes time to survey all the households and then quality assure the data.

Estimates are provided for average incomes, income inequality, and for the number and percentage of people living in poverty. The statistics are the UK’s official source of poverty estimates and, with a larger sample size than other surveys, are the main source of data on household and individual incomes. 

There are several different measures of poverty in the statistics as there is no perfect way to measure poverty. This briefing explains what poverty is, how it can be measured, the different measures in HBAI, recent trends in poverty and additional statistics that can further our understanding of poverty.