The Black Wealth Gap In The UK

Rotimi Merriman-Johnson • 17 March 2026

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There is a £200,000 wealth gap in the UK - and very few are talking about it.


Every couple of years, the ONS publishes Wealth & Assets Survey, a piece of research which looks at the wealth of households in Great Britain.


When we look at the country as a whole, we find that the median British household holds £293,700 in wealth.


This is made up of four components: property wealth, pension wealth, financial assets (savings and investments minus debts) and physical assets.


The ONS defines 'physical assets' as vehicles, collectibles and the contents of your home.


However, for the Black Caribbean ethnic group, this figure drops to £65,100 and for the Black African ethnic group it is lower still, at £39,600.


This is the 'Black Wealth Gap', and it means that for every £1 the average British household has:


  • The Black Caribbean community has 22p
  • The Black African community has 13p


When we dig deeper into the individual components of household wealth, we also find that:


  • Median property wealth in the Black British community is £0
  • And that median Black British financial assets are £1,000 or less


This is in my opinion, the most pressing issue facing the Black British community, and I have many things to say about why this gap exists - but most importantly - how it may be closed within a generation.

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