The bar chart illustrates the proportion of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.
Overall, the proportion of those owning houses displays an upward trend, while the figure for rented properties declines during the time frame. In addition, for most of the period, renting a house was more popular than owning one, while home ownership overtook renting over the final 30 years.
In 1918, nearly 80% of households in both countries lived in rented accommodation, while the remaining lived in their own homes. The proportion of renters dropped to just below 70% in 1939 and stayed there in 1953 before declining dramatically to 50% in 1971. By contrast, the figure for homeowners more than doubled, rising to equal that of renters, at 50% in 1971.
From 1971 onwards, home ownership continued its rising trend to reach a peak of close to 70% in 2001 before dropping by roughly 5% in 2011. The percentage of renters saw a different pattern, with figures experiencing a gradual decline, to just above 30% in 2001, followed by a small rise of 5%