Fact Sheet
UK Spending Statistics 2026
A sourced reference page for UK household spending, payment habits, financial resilience, money apps and debt pressure. Every statistic below includes the source and the date of the source data or release.
Last updated: 4 September 2026
Household Spending
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Cost Pressures
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Payment Behaviour
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Money Apps
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Citable UK spending statistics
Use the anchor beside each statistic when linking to a specific number. Sources are linked directly beside the claim they support.
Household Spending
#£676.60
Average UK household weekly spending
UK households spent £676.60 per week on average in financial year ending 2025, up £53.30 or 9% in cash terms from the previous year.
Source: Office for National Statistics; Released 11 June 2026.
Household Spending
#18% and 14%
Housing and transport took the biggest shares
Housing, fuel and power accounted for 18% of average weekly household spending in financial year ending 2025, while transport accounted for 14%.
Source: Office for National Statistics; Released 11 June 2026.
Household Spending
#£1,083.60 vs £407.30
Higher-income households spent more than twice as much
The richest fifth of UK households spent £1,083.60 per week on average in financial year ending 2025, compared with £407.30 for the poorest fifth.
Source: Office for National Statistics; Released 11 June 2026.
Cost Pressures
#2.8%
Household costs rose in the year to June 2026
The Office for National Statistics reported that overall household costs, measured by the Household Costs Index, rose 2.8% in the year to June 2026.
Source: Office for National Statistics; Released 28 August 2026.
Cost Pressures
#3.0%
Private renters saw the fastest household cost growth
Private renter households had the highest annual household-cost inflation rate, at 3.0% in June 2026. Outright owner-occupier households had the lowest, at 2.6%.
Source: Office for National Statistics; Released 28 August 2026.
Financial Resilience
#13.1 million
UK adults had low financial resilience
The FCA estimated that 13.1 million UK adults, or 24% of adults, had low financial resilience in May 2024.
Source: Financial Conduct Authority; Financial Lives 2024, published 16 May 2025.
Financial Resilience
#25%
Adults who could not cover an unexpected £850 expense
Around one in four adults in Great Britain said their household would be unable to pay an unexpected but necessary expense of £850 in the period from 6 to 31 May 2026.
Source: Office for National Statistics; Data collected 6 to 31 May 2026; released 19 June 2026.
Financial Resilience
#7.6 million
UK adults had low savings
The FCA reported that 7.6 million adults, or 14% of UK adults, had low savings in May 2024, giving them limited capacity to absorb financial shocks.
Source: Financial Conduct Authority; Financial Lives 2024, financial inclusion report.
Financial Resilience
#7.3 million
UK adults found bills or credit commitments a heavy burden
The FCA reported that 7.3 million adults, or 13% of UK adults, were heavily burdened by domestic bills or credit commitments in May 2024.
Source: Financial Conduct Authority; Financial Lives 2024, financial inclusion report.
Payment Behaviour
#10.9 million
UK adults used unregulated Buy Now, Pay Later
The FCA reported that 20% of UK adults, or 10.9 million people, used deferred payment credit in the 12 months to May 2024.
Source: Financial Conduct Authority; Financial Lives 2024 key findings.
Payment Behaviour
#1.9 million
BNPL users used it frequently
Among deferred payment credit users, 1.9 million adults used it 10 or more times in the 12 months to May 2024; 54% of frequent users had low financial resilience.
Source: Financial Conduct Authority; Financial Lives 2024 key findings.
Money Apps
#16.5 million
UK open banking user connections
Open Banking Limited recorded 16.5 million open banking user connections in December 2025, up 36% on the previous year. The figure is counted by bank brand and is not deduplicated across brands.
Source: Open Banking Limited; 2025 year-end data, published 29 January 2026.
Money Apps
#31 million
Open banking payments in one month
Open Banking Limited reported 31 million open banking payments in March 2025, equal to 7.9% of Faster Payments that month.
Source: Open Banking Limited; Impact Report 7, March 2025 data.
Payment Behaviour
#65%
UK adults registered for a mobile payment service
UK Finance reported that 65% of UK adults were registered for at least one mobile payment service in 2025, up from 57% in 2024.
Source: UK Finance; Payment Markets Report 2025, released 19 August 2026.
Payment Behaviour
#19.2 billion
Contactless card payments made by UK consumers
UK Finance reported that 19.2 billion contactless debit and credit card payments were made in the UK in 2025, with a total value of £311 billion.
Source: UK Finance; 2025 contactless payments data.
Debt Pressure
#£16,874
Average unsecured debt among new StepChange clients
StepChange reported average unsecured debt of £16,874 among clients completing their first full debt advice session in 2025, up 8% from 2024.
Source: StepChange; Statistics Yearbook 2025.
Debt Pressure
#£19,701
Average arrears and unsecured debt among StepChange clients
StepChange reported that the average arrears and unsecured debt amount at advice rose to £19,701 in 2025, a 10% increase from 2024.
Source: StepChange; Statistics Yearbook 2025.
What the numbers show
Household budgets are still shaped by essentials, but payment behaviour has become faster and more digital. That combination is why 118M8 focuses on helping people see everyday spending clearly and pause before decisions become automatic.
| Area | Current signal | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Household budgets | Average weekly spending rose in FYE 2025, while housing and transport remained the largest categories. | Small discretionary decisions sit inside budgets already pulled by essential costs. |
| Financial resilience | One in four adults said their household could not cover an unexpected £850 expense in May 2026. | A surprise expense or repeated small overspends can matter quickly for millions of adults. |
| Digital payments | Contactless payments made up 39% of UK payments in 2025, and mobile payment registration reached 65% of adults. | Faster payment habits make a simple pause more valuable at the point of purchase. |
| Money apps | Open banking reached 16.5 million user connections in December 2025. | People are increasingly comfortable using digital tools to understand money and make decisions. |
Methodology and sources
118M8 selected public sources that are primary, recent and directly relevant to UK consumer spending. Figures are not blended or re-estimated. When a source reports rounded figures, this page keeps the same rounded format.
Office for National Statistics: household costs
Household cost inflation by income, housing tenure and life stage
View sourceOffice for National Statistics: household finances
Cost-of-living and unexpected-expense survey results
View sourceFinancial Conduct Authority
Financial resilience, low savings and deferred payment credit use
View sourceCite this page
Suggested citation: 118M8, UK Spending Statistics 2026, last updated 4 September 2026.
For a specific figure, link directly to the statistic anchor, for example /uk-spending-statistics#weekly-household-spend.
Spend in hours, not just pounds
118M8 helps you spot patterns, clock prices in hours worked, choose with more confidence and pause before spending. It is a free companion tool from 118 118 Money for iOS and Android.
