While people in later life are becoming more ethnically diverse, people from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities are more likely to experience poverty in later life. For example, 29% of Asian/Asian British older people are in poverty, compared to 18% of all pensioners.

Many of the challenges they face around financial hardship are similar to those of different ethnic backgrounds, including White British people. But the higher risk of being in poverty reflects the long-standing discrimination that many have faced in housing and the labour market.

In this briefing, we explore these challenges, based primarily on conversations with organisations directly supporting older people from different minoritised communities, supported by Independent Age grant funding. We also set out policy recommendations for tackling these problems, including action to increase uptake of benefit entitlements and to ensure adequate support for people to meet their housing costs.