GDP Quarterly National Accounts: 2026 Quarter 2 (April to June)

Gross disposable household income (GDHI)

Gross disposable household income (GDHI) is a measure of how much money the population has for spending or saving after earnings and transfers such as pensions, taxes and benefits are accounted for. GDHI includes income earned in other areas of the UK or from abroad (for example, offshore workers’ income or income from overseas investments) which are not part of onshore GDP. GDHI per head of population is calculated by dividing total disposable income by the resident population.

In 2026 Quarter 2, gross disposable household income per head is estimated to have increased by 4.5% in nominal terms (without adjusting for inflation) compared to 2025 Quarter 2. The largest part of disposable income is income from employment (known as compensation of employees) which increased by 3.8% in nominal terms compared to 2025 Quarter 2.

In this release we have included new measures of real household disposable income and real household disposable income per head, which are adjusted to remove the effects of inflation. These are calculated using the household final consumption expenditure implied deflator, which represents the average price of total consumer spending. Real disposable income per head can be used as another indicator of prosperity alongside other indicators such as GDP per head. At the present time, the real disposable income estimates are designated as statistics in development. More information on how real GDHI per head is measured can be found in our updated background notes.

In 2026 Quarter 2, real disposable income per head increased by 1.8% compared to 2025 Quarter 2. This increase reflects the nominal increase of 4.5% being offset by a price increase of 2.6% from the implied deflator.

Household Saving Ratio

The household saving ratio is estimated to have increased to at 10.5% in the latest quarter, up from 9.6% at the same point last year. The savings ratio has increased because households’ total resources from disposable income and pension fund adjustments have increased by 4.6% in nominal terms, while the value of household spending has increased by 3.5% over the last 12 months.

The household saving ratio represents funds which are available for adding to savings or paying off debt. It is not a measure of actual deposits made to savings accounts, or of savings accounts balances, but is a useful indicator of trends in overall household sector finances.