(Graph) How what people own is more unequally distributed than what they earn

There has been lots of discussion recently about how much more the ’1 per cent’ earn than everyone else. There has been less attention paid to how much more they own.

Thomas Neumark is a housing and community development professional and blogger

There has been lots of discussion recently about how much more the ’1 per cent’ earn than everyone else. There has been less attention paid to how much more they own.

In fact, wealth (what people own) is more unequally distributed than income.

(The wealth in the graphs refers to the net value of property)

The below chart gives you an idea of just how unequally distributed wealth is in the UK.

Total wealth

Wealth includes things like pensions and stocks. If we just concentrate on housing wealth (Total housing wealth in the UK stands at something like £3,375 billion) we see a similar picture. Here is how housing wealth is distributed.

Distribution of property

House prices have increased significantly, even adjusting for inflation, since the 1970s as this chart shows.

Average prices

However, this has not uniformly benefited all homeowners.

Not benefited all homeowners

Super prime growth

Super prime

7 Responses to “(Graph) How what people own is more unequally distributed than what they earn”

  1. OldLb

    There is a very simple reason.

    To get richer, you need to spend less than you earn, and invest the surplus. [Bar luck]

    Now when the state is taking a huge percentage of your money, and you are left with just enough to make ends meet, you are screwed.

    So what’s Labour plan for not screwing those on a living wage or less with taxes?

    Ah yes, 5,300 bn of pensions debts, 1,100 bn of borrowing, 400 bn of PFI, ….

  2. OldLb

    Total housing wealth in the UK stands at something like £3,375 billion

    =================

    So compare that with government debts of over 7,000 bn, and its obvious that the state is screwing people into destitution.

  3. blarg1987

    Note that you you have not included the Conservative’s in your comment bear in mind PFI etc was their idea.

  4. Selohesra

    Like all good ideas it ceases to worlk when abused to extreme levels by the Blair/Brown fraudsters

  5. LB

    And?

    Brown and Blair PFIed in spades.

    Doesn’t matter if its borrowing, PFI, pensions, its all debt.

    End result is that the government is going to screw people, and that includes the poor, in order to pay it.

    Where for an example is Labour pledge not to tax those earning on or below a living wage?

    Quite, they are going to screw those people as well for tax, so they can pay their salaries and get a cut by handing the money over to their favourites.

    Just like the Tories

    Just like the Lib Dims.

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