Investing in stocks and shares has seen a surge in popularity over the last few years thanks to the rise of fee-free trading apps and interest in “meme” stocks. We look into just how many people in the UK invest, with breakdowns of who is investing and what they have invested in.
In 2026, almost 3 in 5 Brits (58%) have invested – an estimated 31.7 million people – an increase from the 54% of Brits who had invested in 2025. There is still a gender gap in investing, as 49% of women have invested, compared to 66% of men.
However, the number of women investing has risen from 46% in 2025 and is up significantly from 32% at the start of 2023.
2 in 5 Brits (41%) have invested in stocks and shares as of 2026 – including stocks and shares ISAs – making it the most popular investment type. This equates to around 22.6 million UK adults.
27% have invested in index funds, while 20% have invested in exchange-traded funds or ETFs.
If you are one of those people – or you’re considering investing – it’s worth keeping your allowances before tax in mind. For example, you can use a dividend tax calculator to work out whether you’ll pay tax on any dividends.
Stocks and shares – including stocks and shares ISAs – are the most common investment type, followed by bonds, which 29% of UK adults have invested in at some stage. Index funds are also relatively popular, with 27% of people investing in them at some stage.
Although it is a more volatile and high-risk investment type, almost a quarter of Brits (23%) have invested in cryptocurrencies or digital tokens.
Less popular investment types include ready-made portfolios (20%), ETFs (18%), options or futures (18%), Forex (18%), ESG investments (16%) and CFDs (13%).
| What have you invested in? | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Stocks and shares | 26.2% |
| Bonds | 11.5% |
| Cryptocurrencies | 9.4% |
| Funds | 9.1% |
| Ready-made portfolios | 4.4% |
| Forex | 4.1% |
| Ethical investments | 4.0% |
| ETFs | 3.8% |
| Options/Futures | 3.7% |
| CFDs | 0.8% |
69% of generation Z (aged 18-28) has invested at some point in their lives, the highest percentage of all the generations except the silent generation (aged 80+), where 78% have invested.
The popularity among the youngest generation of adults is interesting and could speak to the increasing popularity of trading apps, which target beginners and those starting out with small amounts.
Generation Z are closely followed by millennials (aged 29-44), with two-thirds (66%) having placed money into an investment of some kind.
Those in middle age are – perhaps surprisingly – the least likely to have invested. Around half of both Generation X (aged 45-60) and baby boomers (aged 61-79) have invested at some point.
| Generation | % that has invested |
|---|---|
| Gen Z | 66.1% |
| Millenials | 63.9% |
| Gen X | 46.2% |
| Baby boomers | 46.2% |
| Silent generation | 65.2% |
Londoners lead the way when it comes to investors, with an impressive 3 in 4 (74%) investing as of 2026. The South West comes in second place with 62%, followed by Scotland in third place with 60%.
Yorkshire and The Humber and the North East of England have the lowest percentage of investors at 49% each.
| Region | % that have invested |
|---|---|
| Greater London | 66.3% |
| West Midlands | 57.6% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 55.8% |
| South East | 55.4% |
| Wales | 54.3% |
| South West | 53.2% |
| East of England | 52.7% |
| North West | 52.5% |
| East Midlands | 50.7% |
| Northern Ireland | 47.3% |
| North East | 45.0% |
| Scotland | 44.0% |
Finder commissioned Censuswide in January 2025 to carry out a nationally representative survey of adults aged 18+. A total of 2,000 people were questioned throughout Great Britain, with representative quotas for gender, age and region. We used ONS figures for the UK adult population.
Matt Mckenna
UK Head of Communications
T: +44 20 8191 8806
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