People in Wales have less money to spend than everywhere else in the UK.
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 UK.
Across the UK 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 UK 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 UK 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 UK. 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 UK 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 UK, reflecting a history of London-centricity."
