Wealth gap between richest 10% and middle-earners grows to record £1.2m

Gap has grown since 2008 despite relatively stable levels of inequality for decades, analysis finds

The gap keeps growing: holders of ‘passive’ assets are getting richer while those without increasingly struggle to pay debts (Getty)

The wealth gap between the top 10 per cent of households and those in the middle has reached a record £1.2 million per adult, according to the Resolution Foundation.

Once ordinary aspirations such as saving and buying a home are increasingly out of reach for less wealthy households, the think thank focusing on low- and middle-income people said.

In 2006 the average household among the richest 10th held wealth of close to £900,000 more per adult than a family in the middle, or fifth, decile. But by the start of 2020 that gap had increased to over £1.2m per adult, even after accounting for inflation, the Resolution Foundation said.