Is £20,000 a good income in the United Kingdom?
It is below the median adult. An income of £20,000 a year puts you ahead of about 47% of adults in the United Kingdom — roughly 24.9 million people have less.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs (Survey of Personal Incomes): total income before tax, tax year 2023–24. Below the personal allowance (£12,570) ranks are approximate.
How £20,000 compares in the United Kingdom
Thresholds for income per year, per adult. The last column shows £20,000 relative to each level.
| Group | Starts at | £20,000 is |
|---|---|---|
| Median adult | £21,700 | 92% of this level |
| Top 25% | £36,700 | 55% of this level |
| Top 10% | £56,900 | 35% of this level |
| Top 5% | £78,500 | 25% of this level |
| Top 1% | £179,000 | 11% of this level |
£20,000 by global standards
Compared with all 5.5 billion adults in the world, £20,000 is in the top 16%. The world median income is about £3,170, and the global top 1% starts near £135,000. Living costs differ a lot between countries, so a global rank says more about purchasing power abroad than about comfort at home.
The national statistics above count income the way the tax authorities or statistics office do. On the broader international measure used for cross-country comparison, which also counts employer pension contributions, retained company profits and imputed rents, the same £20,000 is in the bottom 20% in the United Kingdom.
The same £20,000 in other countries
Ranks within each country, converted at ECB exchange rates. Countries with official person-level statistics use those; the rest use the model.
| Country | Rank | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| India | top 1.2% | model |
| South Africa | top 7.7% | model |
| Brazil | top 9.4% | model |
| China | top 11% | model |
| Japan | top 46% | model |
| United States | bottom 36% | national statistics |
| Sweden | bottom 33% | national statistics |
| France | bottom 30% | model |
| Canada | bottom 30% | model |
| Germany | bottom 26% | model |
| Australia | bottom 25% | model |
| Norway | bottom 16% | Statistics Norway |
| Switzerland | bottom 13% | model |
Other amounts in the United Kingdom
- £20,000 — bottom 47%
- £25,000 — top 43%
- £30,000 — top 34%
- £35,000 — top 27%
- £40,000 — top 21%
- £50,000 — top 14%
- £60,000 — top 8.9%
- £70,000 — top 6.4%
- £80,000 — top 4.8%
- £100,000 — top 2.9%
- £125,000 — top 1.9%
- £150,000 — top 1.3%
- £200,000 — top 0.8%
Frequently asked questions
What percentile is £20,000 income in the United Kingdom?
£20,000 is in the bottom 47% of adults in the United Kingdom: about 47% have less.
What income puts you in the top 1% in the United Kingdom?
About £179,000 a year per adult.
How is this calculated?
HM Revenue & Customs (Survey of Personal Incomes): total income before tax, tax year 2023–24. Below the personal allowance (£12,570) ranks are approximate. Amounts are per adult; couples’ wealth is split equally. Exchange rates are ECB reference rates of 2026-10-09.
Estimates for education and curiosity, not financial advice. Read the methodology.