About this data
- Each nation measures fuel poverty differently, so the figures are not comparable between nations.
- England (Low Income Low Energy Efficiency): a household is fuel poor if its home has an energy efficiency rating of band D or below and, after paying for housing and the energy it needs, its income is below the poverty line.
- Scotland (Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act 2019): a household is fuel poor if it needs more than 10% of its income after housing costs for fuel, and what's left is not enough for an acceptable standard of living (below 90% of the Minimum Income Standard). Extreme fuel poverty uses 20%.
- Wales and Northern Ireland: a household is fuel poor if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to heat its home adequately.
- Because the definitions differ, the gaps between nations mostly reflect how fuel poverty is measured, not how many households struggle to heat their homes. The 10% measures used in Wales and Northern Ireland count many more households than England's measure does.
- Scotland: there was no survey in 2020, and 2021 is not comparable. From 2022 heating needs are modelled differently, so the line is broken. England's 2025 figure is provisional.
- Wales: 2018 is from a survey; 2021 and 2024 are modelled, and the Welsh Government says 2024 is not comparable with earlier years. Northern Ireland: 2017–2021 are modelled from the 2016 survey.
This chart appears in Poverty.