Around two-thirds (68%) of working-age adults in poverty live in a household where at least one adult is in work.

At 68% the proportion of working-age adults in poverty who are in a working household has never been higher (Households below average income (HBAI) records began in 1996/97). In 1996/97, this number was lower than 50%.

Because most working-age adults are in work, a relatively small increase in the percentage of workers in poverty has a large effect on the composition of poverty by work status.

Over the last 15 years there has been a slow creep upward of the rate of workers in poverty. In 2005/06, 11% of workers were in poverty - this number now stands at 13%. Part-time worker poverty rates are more than double the poverty rates of full-time workers (23% compared with 10%)

This suggests that work is becoming less effective at warding off poverty.

The data presented here is from our 2022 UK Poverty report, setting out the trends and impacts of poverty across the UK. Read the full report at UK Poverty 2022.