Analysis of the 2021 census  finds that Black people in England and Wales are almost three times more likely to live in social housing (i.e. rental properties provided by local government or not for profit organisations) than their White counterparts (44% of Black people living in social housing compared to 16% of White people), with the figure for people of mixed-race backgrounds standing at 27%. About 34% of British Bangladeshi people, 13% of British Pakistanis and 8% of British Chinese, and 44% of people from Gypsy or Irish Traveller backgrounds said they lived in social housing, according to the census.
Debt Justice shows that people of Black and minority ethnic backgrounds are almost twice as likely to be in serious debt as White people. A 2023 Office for National Statistics survey into the cost of living crisis finds that about half of Asian or British Asian adults, and 47% of Black, African, Caribbean or Black British adults were finding it difficult to afford their rent or mortgage payments, compared with 33% of White adults. The New Economics Foundation finds that Black, Asian and other minority ethnic households will experience an increase in the cost of living, 1.6 times higher than their White counterparts, as people on low or insecure incomes are often forced into pricier arrangements such as prepayment meters, higher-cost credit or being unable to buy everyday goods such as food in bulk.