• UK Population in 1952: 50.2m - currently 62.3m
• The average weekly wage for men was £9, and £5 for women – currently £462
• The registered number of unemployed in 1952 was 415,000 (2.2% of workforce). Today it is currently 2.65m (8.3% of working population).
• The workforce has increased from 23m in 1952 to 32 in 2012.
• The percentages of the sexes employed have seen great changes – in 1952, 96% of men and only 46% of women were employed...today, the male figure has dropped to 75% and the females have closed the gap to 66%.
• £1 in 1952 would now be worth £22.40
• Based on Nationwide average house price in 1952 of £1,891 – so the average property would now be worth £42,380 based on the above calculation! However, the average UK house price is actually £163,237 (according to Nationwide).
• The cost of a pint of milk in 1952 was 4p – now it’s 50p
• Likewise, the cost of a pint of beer has gone up, from the princely sum of 9p to at least £2.80 in 2012!
• The average annual holiday benefit in 1952 was 16 days – now it’s a minimum of 28 days!