¹Office for National Statistics

Outlines why users may be interested in this macroeconomic statistic and possible reasons for its downward trend since 1997

The household saving ratio is published quarterly as part of the UK National Accounts. This article outlines why users may be interested in this macroeconomic statistic and describes how this measure is calculated. There are a number of well-known controversies and measurement issues in defining saving, so alternative measures of the household saving ratio are also presented. Finally, possible reasons accounting for the downward trend in the UK household saving ratio since 1997 are offered.

Full Version

The Full Text of this article can be found on the National Statistics website(http://www.statistics.gov.uk/elmr/03_08/downloads/elmr_mar08_chamberlin.pdf).