Datastream
In One Chart: Two Decades of Stock Ownership in America
The Briefing
- In 2020, approximately 55% of Americans owned some form of stock
- That’s 5 percentage points lower than U.S. stock ownership in 2000
- Stock ownership is strongly linked to household income. Last year, 84% of U.S. households earning $100,000+ owned stock, compared to just 22% of those making less than $40,000
How Many Americans Own Stocks?
2020 was an exceptionally volatile year for the stock market. But how many Americans were directly impacted by last year’s market highs and lows?
In other words, how many Americans own stocks as a part of their investment portfolios?
Two Decades of Stock Ownership in America
Stock ownership in the U.S. has dipped over the last two decades.
In a survey by Gallup, about 55% of Americans claimed to own some form of stock in 2020—either an individual stock, a stock mutual fund, or in a self-directed 401(k) or IRA. This is a significant decrease from 2000, when 60% of Americans owned stock:
| Year | Yes, Owns Stock | No, Does Not Own Stock |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 60% | 39% |
| 2001 | 62% | 36% |
| 2002 | 63% | 36% |
| 2003 | 61% | 38% |
| 2004 | 63% | 36% |
| 2005 | 61% | 39% |
| 2006 | 62% | 37% |
| 2007 | 62% | 37% |
| 2008 | 61% | 38% |
| 2009 | 59% | 40% |
| 2010 | 56% | 43% |
| 2011 | 57% | 43% |
| 2012 | 53% | 46% |
| 2013 | 52% | 47% |
| 2014 | 54% | 45% |
| 2015 | 55% | 44% |
| 2016 | 52% | 46% |
| 2017 | 54% | 45% |
| 2018 | 55% | 43% |
| 2019 | 55% | 44% |
| 2020 | 55% | 45% |
*Note: Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Stock ownership was relatively high in the early 2000s, but it dipped slightly after the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Since then, it’s hovered around 50-55%.
High Income, High Stock Ownership
While more than half the U.S. population owns some form of stock, ownership is concentrated among higher-income groups.
For example, in 2020, 77% of households making less than $40,000 per year didn’t own stock. In contrast, only 15% of households earning $100,000+ per year weren’t invested in some form of stock:
| Yearly Household Income (USD) | Yes, Owns Stock (2020) | No, Does Not Own Stock (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| $100,000+ | 84% | 15% |
| $40,000 - $99,999 | 65% | 35% |
| <$40,000 | 22% | 77% |
There was also a strong correlation between formal education and stock ownership. In 2020, 85% of Americans who owned stock had a postgraduate degree, compared to 33% who had no formal post-secondary education.
»Interested in the stock market but not sure where to begin? You might enjoy this article, Stock Market Basics: How Do Investors Choose Stocks?
Where does this data come from?
Source: Gallup
Details: Survey results are based on combined data from telephone interviews conducted March 13-22, 2020, and April 1-14, 2020. The data represents a random sample of 2,027 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia
Datastream
Charted: The Ukraine War Civilian Death Toll
Using data from the UN, this chart shows civilian death toll figures resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Briefing
- In total, since the war began in February there have been over 7,031 Ukrainian civilian deaths
- Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons, such as missiles and heavy artillery
Charted: The Ukraine War Civilian Death Toll
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has wrought suffering and death on a mass scale, with many Russian attacks targeted at civilians.
We’ve created this visual using data from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to better understand how many civilians have died in Ukraine as a result of the war, as well as how many were injured and how many were children.
The Numbers
As of early December, it is reported that 7,031 people in Ukraine have died because of the war — 433 of them children. Another 11,327 have been injured, 827 of which are children. In total, this is over 18,000 people killed or injured.
The figures are difficult to verify due to differing reports coming out of both Russia and Ukraine. The UN OHCHR anticipates that the numbers could be even higher.
The State of the Conflict
The war began on February 24th, 2022 and less than a year in, millions of people have been displaced by the conflict, and thousands of civilians have been injured or killed.
According to the UN, most of the civilian deaths have been caused by wide-ranging explosives such as heavy artillery shelling, missiles, and air strikes, and have been concentrated in Donetsk and Luhansk and in other territory still held by Ukraine.
Additionally, new estimates from Kyiv report approximately 13,000 Ukrainian military or soldier deaths, which has yet to be confirmed by the army.
Where does this data come from?
Source: The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights monthly reports on civilian deaths in Ukraine.
Note: Data on deaths and injuries can vary wildly depending on the source.
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