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People in Wales have less money to spend than everywhere else in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ.

According to new research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the estimated gross disposable household income (GDHI) per head in Wales is £15,754.

This means that each person has £15,754 on average, to spend or save after they had paid taxes and received any benefits. 

While the figure was up by £158 compared to 2016, that is the lowest amount of disposable income in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ.

Across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ as a whole, GDHI per head was £19,322 in 2016 and £19,514 in 2017.
Disposable income rose fastest in London, where the average person had £27,825 to spend in 2017.

That was up from £27,225 in 2016.

While disposable income has risen as a whole in Wales over the past two decades, the rate of growth has been much slower than elsewhere.

In 1997, GDHI per head in our country was £9,423. It has risen by 67.2 per cent since then.

The º£½ÇÊÓƵ as a whole has seen GDHI per head rise by 80.6 per cent during that time.
The figures also show a wide variation of disposable income in different parts of Wales.

Monmouthshire and Newport has the highest GDHI per head at £17,292, while Central Valleys has the lowest, at £14,258.

Total GDHI across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ was £1.3 trillion in 2017.

Of that, 86.3% was in England, 7.6% in Scotland, 3.8% in Wales, and 2.3% in Northern Ireland.

GDHI per head rose 1% across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ. That was consistent in all countries except Scotland, which grew by 0.9%

Tom Hadley, director of policy and campaigns at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said: “Having enough disposable income can let us live the lives we want and save for important events like buying a home, raising a family, or retirement. 

“That’s why jobs are so important, and the º£½ÇÊÓƵ jobs market is strong.  Our economy keeps over 32.5 million people in work, a new record, with one of the lowest-ever unemployment rates of 3.8%. The focus needs to also be on good jobs. 

“As GDHI figures show levels of disposable income vary substantially between the different regions and nations of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ, reflecting a history of London-centricity."