Many Brits are earning additional income from side hustles like walking dogs, filling out surveys or selling handmade goods. Some of us even choose to set up an extra business, and if you are serious about your side hustle, you may decide to open a dedicated business account. We look at the latest side hustle statistics and trends across the UK, including how many people have them and the average earnings.
In 2024, 43% of Brits have at least one side hustle as an additional source of income, according to our nationally representative survey. Around half of men (49%) make money from a side hustle, compared to 37% of women.
Side hustles are becoming a popular way for Brits to earn extra cash during the cost of living crisis when many Brits are struggling to make ends meet or put money into savings.
Tracey is a Finder member from Abingdon who has been struggling to save due to the cost of living crisis. She tells us about her side hustles:
I already have 3 side hustles and am still battling to get by. I cook for the local squash club, I sell clothes on eBay, I enter competitions and I do online surveys for money.
I am not happy with how much I have saved. I have had to use some of it to pay for things like car insurance, tyres, MOTs, electricity bills and repairs.
On average, Brits earn £207 from side hustles per week, which adds up to around £900 a month or £10,800 a year. Around a quarter of Brits (25%) have a side hustle that earns them between £1 and £200 a week.
A side hustle is when you have a job or business in addition to your primary job that enables you to make extra money. For example, you could sell items online, do freelance work, drive people around in your car or do other odd jobs. You might also have a secondary part-time job in addition to your main job.
Side hustles provide an additional source of income but can also give people the opportunity to try a new challenge or have fun doing something they enjoy. It’s like having a hobby, but you get paid for it!
Remarkably, more than two-thirds of generation Z make money from a side hustle (68%), more than any other generation. Millennials are not far behind their younger counterparts, as 65% have a side hustle that earns extra cash, as well as 2 in 5 members of generation X (40%).
Side hustles are less common as an extra source of income among the older generations, with 23% of baby boomers and 7% of the silent generation (21%) earning money this way.
The popularity of side hustles among the younger generations could be related to several factors, including lower average income from their main employment and higher usage of apps and online platforms that allow easy ways to set up side hustles, such as selling clothes online or creating TikTok content.
| Generation | Percentage earning from a side hustle | Average earnings (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Gen Z | 68.18% | £1,137.46 |
| Millennials | 64.91% | £1,208.03 |
| Gen X | 39.55% | £638.85 |
| Baby boomers | 22.84% | £486.76 |
| Silent generation | 6.93% | £84.47 |
Londoners are at the top of their game when it comes to side hustles in the UK, with 6 in 10 (61%) having a side hustle that makes extra money, earning an average of £1,643 a month!
Those in the North East are also earning big from side hustles, with an average income of £1,208 among the 39% making money this way.
Those in Wales are the least likely to earn money with a side hustle, with 1 in 5 (21%) doing so and earning an average income of £335 a month.
| Region | Average monthly earnings |
|---|---|
| Greater London | £1,643 |
| North East | £1,208 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £978 |
| North West | £940 |
| West Midlands | £931 |
| Scotland | £805 |
| South West | £718 |
| East Midlands | £648 |
| East of England | £626 |
| Northern Ireland | £586 |
| South East | £562 |
| Wales | £335 |
According to external research, the top 3 most popular side hustles are:
The most popular side hustles fall into 5 key categories:
We've grouped the top 30 UK side hustles in these categories in the table below:
| Selling old or refurbished items | Creating content | Creating products and selling them | Secondary part-time jobs | Manual labour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selling old clothes on Vinted or similar | Becoming a social media "influencer" on TikTok or similar | Drawing people’s pets | Mystery shopping | Putting flat pack furniture together for other people |
| Buying clothes from charity shops and selling them as "vintage" pieces | Blogging/writing | Making candles | Web design | Delivery services |
| Refurbishing electronics to resell | OnlyFans | DIY for other people | Private tutoring | Pet services (dog walking/pet sitting/grooming) |
| Bulk buying products, then selling them cheaper individually | Vlogging | Creating and selling your own products | Admin/data entry | House cleaning |
| / | Podcasting | Baking | Proofreading | Painting people’s nails |
| / | Busking | / | Graphic design | / |
| / | / | / | Translating | / |
| / | / | / | Taxi services (either through Uber/Lyft or your own branding) | / |
| / | / | / | Childcare | / |
| / | / | / | Another part-time secondary job | / |
| / | / | / | / | / |
Finder's research team sometimes needs first-hand experiences of personal finances to bring our pages to life. If selected and used for our research, we will pay for your case study.
If you are interested in taking part, you can apply to be included in our case study database or email: ukpr@finder.com
Matt Mckenna
UK Head of Communications
T: +44 20 8191 8806
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