FVI

The Financial Vulnerability Index is a powerful tool designed to measure and monitor financial resilience both nationally and locally across the UK. Developed by Lowell in partnership with Opinium, the index combines Lowell’s Customer data with publicly available metrics to provide this one-of-a-kind view of financial resilience.

The tool enables policymakers, local authorities, and other key stakeholders to gain deep insights into the financial wellbeing of their communities, helping them make informed decisions to enhance financial resilience.

Users can access detailed Financial Vulnerability Index scores, along with their key components, for any county or parliamentary constituency, with quarterly data available since 2017.

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Late arrears

0 %

Average credit use

0 %

Adults in default

0 %

Social benefits

0 %

Without emergency savings

0 %

Financial vulnerability escalates, reaching middle-class and affluent households

Financial distress is no longer confined to traditionally vulnerable groups—it is now affecting middle-class earners, families and even affluent communities. Rising debt, increasing arrears, and dwindling savings are making it harder for more people to cover essential expenses. This growing financial vulnerability highlights a systemic issue that demands urgent action to prevent long-term instability across all income levels and regions.

Rising dependence on social benefits signals deepening financial struggles

Rising economic pressures are driving greater reliance on social benefits, reflecting a shift in how financial hardship is managed. Instead of accumulating debt, more individuals are seeking state support, highlighting persistent financial struggles. This trend carries long-term implications for both individuals and government policy, as it points to a growing population unable to sustain themselves solely on their income.

Economic inequality is deepening due to regional and demographic disparities

Economic inequality is being reinforced by persistent regional and demographic divides. The most vulnerable regions continue to struggle, reinforcing long-term economic stagnation. However, the biggest shift is in middle-tier regions like London, East of England, Yorkshire & Humber, and East Midlands, which are now seeing sharp increases in financial distress. London is now above average for financial vulnerability, marking a concerning trend.

Explore the results in detail:

Identify trends and patterns relevant to local areas

The Data Explorer enables you to explore the results of the Financial Vulnerability Index in granular detail, at a regional and constituency level. Users can find their region or constituency and view the data broken down by each indicator.

The tool gives users the ability to visualize the data to help identify trends and patterns relevant to their local area and understand the geographical relationships within the index.

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How do we pull the index together?

We’ve built the index using data from Lowell’s customer database, the FCA Financial Lives Survey, NOMIS, and recent research by Opinium. The index looks at the following key measures:

Consumers in default (from Lowell)
Consumers in late arrears (from Lowell)
Average credit usage (from Lowell)
Consumers claiming social benefits (from NOMIS)
Consumers using alternative financial products (from Opinium)
Consumers without emergency savings (from Opinium)

Lowell’s data includes over 8 million records, which are analysed at a parliamentary constituency level and then used to create regional and national views of financial vulnerability.

We’d love to talk to you about the index and how we pull it together, contact us at parliament@lowellgroup.co.uk

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Lowell’s Financial Vulnerability Index

Key Insights

The three important findings of the latest wave of the Financial Vulnerability Index are: