Education is one of the most important predictors of people's life chances. Better-educated people are more likely to be in work and tend to earn more, and the influence of education does not stop there. Education shapes a range of other outcomes, including health, wealth and even happiness.

Explaining differences in education is therefore essential to understanding lifetime inequalities. In this chapter, we draw on an extensive body of evidence to further our understanding of education inequalities in today's world. The focus of our chapter is education inequalities in the United Kingdom (UK), and predominantly in England. But the lessons we draw will carry implications for settings across the world.

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Christine Farquharson, Sandra McNally and Imran Tahir

16 August 2022

The IFS Deaton Review of Inequalities

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This External publication is part of the centre's Education and skills programme.

This publication comes under the following theme: Inequality and social mobility