Top earners' pay has doubled over 25 years

The real earnings of the top 1% of earners in the UK has doubled over the last 25 years, increasing by around 117%, according to research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The research also found that the bottom 1% of UK earners experienced a real wage growth of 70% between 1986 and 2011. According to the ONS, this is, in part, due to the introduction of the national minimum wage in 1999.

The report also found that the real wage earnings of the bottom 10% increased by an average of 47% compared with the top 10%, which has experienced an 81% increase in earnings over the last 25 years.

Despite the pay gap, UK full-time employees were an average of 62% better off in 2011 than in 1986. However, the recession has caused all employees to experience a drop in real earnings because wages have failed to keep up with inflation, according to the ONS.