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 2025, an estimated 29 million Brits (54%) have invested, an increase from the 42% of Brits who had invested in 2023. There is still a gender gap in investing, as 46% of women have invested, compared to 63% of men.
However, the number of women investing has risen by 14 percentage points to 46% in 2025 compared to 32% at the start of 2023.
More than a quarter of Brits (26%) have invested in stocks and shares as of 2025, making it the most popular investment type. This equates to around 14 million UK adults and is a 44% increase from 2023 when 18% of Brits said they had owned stocks and shares.
1 in 10 Brits (9%) have also invested in index funds, while 4% 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 are chosen by 12% of UK adults. Funds are also relatively popular, with 1 in 10 UK adults (9%) opting to invest in one. Although it is a more volatile and high-risk investment type, 1 in 10 Brits (9%) have also invested in cryptocurrency.
Less popular investment types include ready-made portfolios (4%), exchange-traded funds or ETFs (4%), ethical investment and ESG (4%), forex (4%), options or futures (2%), and CFDs (less than 1%). Other investment types mentioned by respondents included property and gold.
Most popular investment types include long-term buy-and-hold strategies. However, some retail investors do try their hand at trading and copying the experts – although research suggests that roughly 70% of these people will lose money.
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% |
66% of generation Z has invested at some point in their lives, the highest percentage of all the generations. This is interesting, considering they have had the least amount of time to invest and could speak to the increasing popularity of trading apps.
The silent generation (aged 79+) has also been keen investors, with 65% having invested at some point in their lives. They are closely followed by the millennials (aged 28-43), with 65% having placed money into an investment of some kind.
Those in middle age are – perhaps surprisingly – the least likely to have invested. Less than half (46%) of both Generation X (aged 44-59) and baby boomers (aged 60-78) claim to have invested.
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, with an impressive 2 in 3 (66%) investing as of 2025. The other regions of the UK are reasonably similar – the West Midlands comes in second place with 58%, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber in third place with 56%.
Scotland is at the bottom of the table with 44% investing, and the North East of England is very close behind with 45%.
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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