The average UK worker would need to save every penny of their earnings for 52 years to accumulate the £1.3 million needed to join the country’s wealthiest 10 per cent, research from the Resolution Foundation has found.
The calculation assumes that no money is spent on housing, food, bills or any other costs during that period. It highlights the scale of the wealth gap facing people seeking to move beyond the middle-class bracket.
Molly Broome, formerly a senior economist at the Resolution Foundation and lead author of the research, said: “Wealth gaps in Britain are now so large that a typical full-time employee saving all their earnings across their entire working life would still not be able to reach the top of the wealth ladder.”
The research, released in October 2025, also found that people from working-class backgrounds face particularly limited prospects of improving their position. “Wealth mobility in Britain is low. People that start life wealthy tend to stay wealthy, and vice versa,” Ms Broome said.
It identified gains from property and investments as a key factor behind the widening divide. Those who bought homes or invested their money have benefited from rising “passive” wealth since 2010, the report said.
How long would American workers need to save to become wealthy?
The challenge is also evident in the US, where workers say they would need at least $2.3 million to feel rich. Separate calculations suggest that achieving the commonly described American Dream — including a suburban home, two children, an annual holiday and a new car — would require $4.4 million.
With average median weekly earnings for full-time US workers standing at $1,232, reaching $2.3 million would take more than 35 years of work without paying a single bill. That would still leave workers $2.1 million short of the $4.4 million benchmark.
Reaching that higher figure would take the average American worker nearly 70 years of saving every dollar earned, before allowing for inflation, unexpected financial shocks or the potential impact of automation on future employment.
