The chart below shows the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of households who lived in their own or rented accommodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011. Overall, these countries saw a rise in home ownership but experienced a decrease in rentals.

From 1918 to 1971, there was a higher percentage in rented accommodation than those in owned accommodation until 1971 both figures were equal. In 1918, almost 80% of households were in rented houses while less than 10% owned their places. However, rentals decreased from over 80% to approximately 60% between 1918 and 1961 while there was an increase in owned residential properties from 20% to 40% during the same period of time.

In the next 40 years, the figure for those in owned accommodation outnumbered those in rented accommodation, increasing by 10% to 60% in 1981 and reaching a peak at about 70% in 2001 before dropping to around 65% in 2011. On the other hand, the percentage of those in rented accommodation decreased gradually from 50% in 1981 to its lowest point at 30% in 2001 before rising to around 35% in 2011.