IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ehl/lserod/43868.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Recent trends in the size and the distribution of inherited wealth in the UK

Author

Listed:
  • Karagiannaki, Eleni

Abstract

In this paper we document the evolution of the annual flow of inheritances in the UK during the period 1984-2005 and provide estimates for the overall magnitude and the distribution of inherited wealth. Our results indicate that the period under examination the annual flow of inheritance increased markedly, from £22 billion in 1984 to £56 billion in 2005. The main drivers behind this increase were the rise in house prices and to a lesser extent the increase in the proportion of inheritances which included housing assets. Our results, based on analysis of survey data, show that the distribution of inheritances is characterized by a very high degree of inequality (comparable by and large to that observed in personal wealth) and that this has increased over time. However, the inequality increasing effect from the greater inequality in the distribution of inheritance was counterbalanced by the increase in the percentage of the population who received an inheritance. Our results also show that inheritance is positively associated with socio-economic status and that the disparities between groups became slightly more pronounced over time (mainly across educational groups). However, our evidence also shows that inheritance for the majority of recipients is fairly small and that large inheritances are limited to a very small minority of the population.

Suggested Citation

  • Karagiannaki, Eleni, 2011. "Recent trends in the size and the distribution of inherited wealth in the UK," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 43868, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:43868
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/43868/
    File Function: Open access version.
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thomas Piketty, 2011. "On the Long-Run Evolution of Inheritance: France 1820--2050," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 126(3), pages 1071-1131.
    2. Laitner, John, 1979. "Household Bequests, Perfect Expectations, and the National Distribution of Wealth," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(5), pages 1175-1193, September.
    3. Mariacristina De Nardi, 2004. "Wealth Inequality and Intergenerational Links," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 71(3), pages 743-768.
    4. Gokhale, Jagadeesh & Kotlikoff, Laurence J. & Sefton, James & Weale, Martin, 2001. "Simulating the transmission of wealth inequality via bequests," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(1), pages 93-128, January.
    5. Kotlikoff, Laurence J & Summers, Lawrence H, 1981. "The Role of Intergenerational Transfers in Aggregate Capital Accumulation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 89(4), pages 706-732, August.
    6. James B. Davies, 1982. "The Relative Impact of Inheritance and Other Factors on Economic Inequality," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 97(3), pages 471-498.
    7. Harbury, C D & Hitchens, D M W N, 1976. "The Inheritances of Top Wealth Leavers: Some Further Evidence," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 86(342), pages 321-326, June.
    8. N. Anders Klevmarken, 2004. "On The Wealth Dynamics Of Swedish Families, 1984–98," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 50(4), pages 469-491, December.
    9. Modigliani, Franco, 1988. "The Role of Intergenerational Transfers and Life Cycle Saving in the Accumulation of Wealth," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 2(2), pages 15-40, Spring.
    10. Harbury, C D & McMahon, P C, 1973. "Inheritance and the Characteristics of Top Wealth Leavers in Britain," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 83(331), pages 810-833, September.
    11. Becker, Gary S & Tomes, Nigel, 1979. "An Equilibrium Theory of the Distribution of Income and Intergenerational Mobility," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(6), pages 1153-1189, December.
    12. John Laitner, 1979. "Household Bequest Behaviour and the National Distribution of Wealth," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 46(3), pages 467-483.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Facundo Alvaredo & Bertrand Garbinti & Thomas Piketty, 2017. "On the Share of Inheritance in Aggregate Wealth: Europe and the USA, 1900–2010," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 84(334), pages 239-260, April.
    2. Anthony B. Atkinson, 2018. "Wealth and inheritance in Britain from 1896 to the present," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 16(2), pages 137-169, June.
    3. repec:cep:sticas:/148 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Karagiannaki, Eleni, 2011. "The impact of inheritance on the distribution of wealth: evidence from the UK," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 43895, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. , Stone Center & Nolan, Brian & Palomino, Juan & Van Kerm, Philippe & Morelli, Salvatore, 2020. "Intergenerational Transfers by Size and Wealth Inequality in Rich Countries," SocArXiv eyh8s, Center for Open Science.
    6. Eleni Karagiannaki, 2011. "The impact of inheritance on the distribution of wealth: Evidence from the UK," CASE Papers case148, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    7. Anita Tiefensee & Christian Westermeier, 2016. "Intergenerational Transfers and Wealth in the Euro-Area: The Relevance of Inheritances and Gifts in Absolute and Relative Terms," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1556, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    8. Alvaredo, Facundo & Garbinti, Bertrand & Piketty, Thomas, "undated". "On the Share of Inheritance in Aggregate Wealth Europe and the United States, 1900-2010," INET Oxford Working Papers 2015-07, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eleni Karagiannaki, 2011. "Rrecent trends in the size and the distribution of inherited wealth in the UK," CASE Papers case146, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    2. Elinder, Mikael & Erixson, Oscar & Waldenström, Daniel, 2018. "Inheritance and wealth inequality: Evidence from population registers," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 17-30.
    3. Eleni Karagiannaki, 2017. "The Impact of Inheritance on the Distribution of Wealth: Evidence from Great Britain," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 63(2), pages 394-408, June.
    4. Karagiannaki, Eleni, 2015. "Recent trends in the size and the distribution of inherited wealth in the UK," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 59949, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Mauro Baranzini, 2005. "Modigliani's life-cycle theory of savings fifty years later," Banca Nazionale del Lavoro Quarterly Review, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, vol. 58(233-234), pages 109-172.
    6. Mauro Baranzini, 2005. "Modigliani's life-cycle theory of savings fifty years later," BNL Quarterly Review, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, vol. 58(233-234), pages 109-172.
    7. Niimi, Yoko & Horioka, Charles Yuji, 2016. "The Impact of Intergenerational Transfers on Household Wealth Inequality in Japan and the United States," AGI Working Paper Series 2016-20, Asian Growth Research Institute.
    8. Jagadeesh Gokhale & Laurence J. Kotlikoff, 2002. "The Impact of Social Security and Other Factors on the Distribution of Wealth," NBER Chapters, in: The Distributional Aspects of Social Security and Social Security Reform, pages 85-114, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. James B. Davies & Rodrigo Lluberas & Daniel Waldenström & James Davies, 2024. "Long-Term Trends in the Distribution of Wealth and Inheritance," CESifo Working Paper Series 11183, CESifo.
    10. Gokhale, Jagadeesh & Kotlikoff, Laurence J. & Sefton, James & Weale, Martin, 2001. "Simulating the transmission of wealth inequality via bequests," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(1), pages 93-128, January.
    11. John Laitner, 2001. "Modeling the Macroeconomic Implications of Social Security Reform," Working Papers wp015, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    12. John Laitner, 2001. "Wealth Accumulation in the U.S.: Do Inheritances and Bequests Play a Significant Role?," Working Papers wp019, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    13. Korom, Philipp, 2016. "Inherited advantage: The importance of inheritance for private wealth accumulation in Europe," MPIfG Discussion Paper 16/11, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    14. Adrian Adermon & Mikael Lindahl & Daniel Waldenström, 2018. "Intergenerational Wealth Mobility and the Role of Inheritance: Evidence from Multiple Generations," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(612), pages 482-513, July.
    15. Karagiannaki, Eleni, 2017. "The impact of inheritance on the distribution of wealth: evidence from Great Britain," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 62622, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    16. Caballé, Jordi & Moro-Egido, Ana I., 2021. "Do aspirations reduce differences in wealth accumulation?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    17. De Nardi, Mariacristina & Yang, Fang, 2014. "Bequests and heterogeneity in retirement wealth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 182-196.
    18. Marta Melguizo Garde, 2007. "La motivación de las transmisiones lucrativas entre generaciones de una familia: modelos teóricos y evidencia empírica," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 181(2), pages 81-118, June.
    19. Cagetti, Marco & De Nardi, Mariacristina, 2008. "Wealth Inequality: Data And Models," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(S2), pages 285-313, September.
    20. Neil Cummins, 2022. "The hidden wealth of English dynasties, 1892–2016," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 75(3), pages 667-702, August.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:43868. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: LSERO Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lsepsuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.