(Bloomberg) --

Household incomes in the U.K. continued to grow on average in the first full year of the coronavirus pandemic but the poor fared worse than others, official figures show. 

Adjusted for inflation, the median after-tax income rose by 2% in the year through March 2021 to 31,385 pounds ($41,270), the Office for National Statistics said Monday. It followed a 4.1% gain the previous year. 

However, the pandemic had a disproportionate impact, with the poorest fifth of the population experiencing a 2% fall in income. Many found themselves furloughed on reduced wages when businesses were shuttered to fight the spread of Covid-19, and an increase in welfare benefits only partially made up for the hit, the ONS said.

The richest fifth also lost income, although not to the same extent, and the gap with the lowest-income households remained at almost 50,000 pounds.

“The middle of the income distribution remained largely stable between FYE 2020 and FYE 2021,” the ONS said. “For this group, the interplay between original income and cash benefits was much more balanced, contributing to relatively little change.”

The median income of retired households increased by 7% during the year, while people living in working households rose by just 1%. The figures include earnings from employment, private pensions and investments, as well as cash benefits provided by the state. 

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