How much student debt does the average UK graduate have?

The average UK graduate leaves university with £44,940 in student debt, among the highest in the developed world. The total outstanding student loan balance is forecast to exceed £500 billion. Plan 2 student loan interest rates reached 7.3% in 2025.

What is the youth unemployment rate in the UK?

Youth unemployment (ages 16-24) stands at approximately 12%, nearly three times the national average of 4.4%. Graduate job vacancies have declined 12% year-on-year, with an average of 73 applications per graduate position.

Can young people afford to buy a house in the UK?

The average house price in England is £443,440, with the house price-to-income ratio reaching 9.0x in 2025 — up from 3.5x in 1997. The average age of a first-time buyer is now 37, and 4.75 million households rent privately in England.

How bad is the youth mental health crisis in the UK?

25.8% of 7-24 year olds had a probable mental health disorder in 2023, up from 17.5% in 2017. Average NHS wait times for youth mental health treatment exceed 12 months.

What does the Backing Young Britain campaign want?

The campaign calls for a Commissioner for Young People and a mandatory Generational Impact Assessment on all major policy, to ensure future legislation considers its effect on the next generation.

Backing Young Britain — Student Debt, Youth Unemployment, Housing Crisis & Mental Health

A campaign for Britons under 30

Britain is home to some of the brightest and most ambitious young people in the world, yet across education, employment, housing and health, they are being let down.

See how young people are faring in your local area, and add your name to our open letter calling on the Government to start Backing Young Britain.

Net emigration of 16–34 year olds in 2025. Top destinations: Dubai, Australia, Canada.: 111,000
The house price-to-earnings ratio in England. It was 3.5x in 2000.: 7.6x
Under-25s with a mental health condition. 2x from a generation ago.: 1 in 5
Owed by the average graduate before they earn a penny. Up from £9,000 in 2006.: £53K

In education

The education system is failing young people at each stage. School absence is nearly double pre-pandemic levels. College funding has only just returned to where it was a decade ago. And graduates leave with £53,000 of debt, into one of the highest-debt systems in the world (UNESCO).

The promise was the great equaliser. The reality is underfunding, disengagement, and debt.

Primary & Secondary Schools

Overall absence rate

Persistent absentees (10%+ sessions missed)

Severe absentees (50%+ sessions missed)

College & Sixth Form

Per student funding — Sixth Forms (ages 16–18)

Source: ESFA 16-to-19 allocation data

Per student funding — Colleges (ages 16–18)

Source: ESFA 16-to-19 allocation data

University

Avg. debt on entering repayment

Source: Student Loans Company / House of Commons Library, 2025

Total outstanding balance

Source: Student Loans Company / House of Commons Library, 2025

Interest added per borrower

Repayment per borrower

Source: SLC, Student Loans in England 2024-25

In employment

Work hard, get ahead. Yet, the jobs young people were promised are vanishing.

AI is eliminating entry-level roles. Rising employer NICs have made hiring juniors 7% more expensive (BCC). Apprenticeship starts for under-25s have fallen nearly 40% in a decade. And 1.2 million graduates applied for just 17,000 roles (Forbes).

NEETs

16–24 year olds NEET (seasonally adjusted)

Source: ONS Labour Force Survey, February 2026

Unemployment

16–24 unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)

Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (MGWY), 2026

18–24 claimant count (seasonally adjusted)

Source: ONS CLA02: Claimant Count by Age, March 2026

Apprenticeships

In housing

It was never the avocados. House prices have more than doubled relative to earnings since the late 1990s. London saw just 5,547 housing starts last year, down over 75% (Bloomberg). And 3.6 million 16–34 year olds are living with their parents, over a million more than in 2005.

Buying

In England, the median house price was 7.6x the median salary in 2025, up from 3.5x in 1997.

Renting

In the UK, average monthly rent for 1 bedroom in a 2 bed flat (before bills) was £610 in 2025, up 61% versus 2010.

This represents 26% of a median 22–29 year old’s take-home pay.

House Building

In England, 208,600 net additional dwellings were added in 2024-25, just 56% of the government target of 370,000.

Living at Home

In England, there were 3.6 million 16–34 year olds living at home with their parents in 2024, up 1.05M since 2005.

In health

One in five children now has a diagnosable mental health condition, double what it was a generation ago. Over half a million are on a waiting list for support (BMA). Youth services funding has been cut by 76% in real terms since 2010 (YMCA).

They were promised a safety net, and what they got was a waiting list.

Mental Health Condition

In England, 1 in 5 children had a probable mental health condition, such as anxiety and depression, in 2023, up 50% from 2017.

Source: NHS Digital, Mental Health of Children and Young People surveys

Referrals to Completions

In England, 1.81 million people were referred for mental health support in 2024-25, with 670K successfully completing treatment, a gap of 1.14 million people.

Youth Services Funding

In England, local authority spending on youth services (such as clubs, sports and playgrounds) per young person was £37.43 in 2024-25, down 48% from 2012-13.

Add your name

Your name will be included in our open letter to the Government. We will not share your data with any other third parties. By signing, you agree to receive campaign updates.

We believe the UK Government should start Backing Young Britain and we will deliver our campaign directly to Number 10.
Join us and add your name to call for:

1. National Strategy for Young People: Requiring government to deliver targets for under-30s across education, employment, housing, and health.

2. Commissioner for Young People: An independent voice to hold government accountable on the issues shaping the lives of those under 30.

3. Generational Impact Assessment on all major legislation: So no law passes without asking: what does this mean for the next generation?