People in the United Kingdom are better off than in the past across a range of measures but the benefits are not spread equally. Household income and educational attainment have improved overall but the gaps remain large. However, employment rates for most key groups that have been disadvantaged in the labour market have improved recently and at a greater rate than for the population overall. Nevertheless, a significant minority of people are affected by a lack of material resources and the inequality in the health of the population has widened.