Britons are living longer, are better qualified and richer than they were 20 years ago but the gap between the very richest and poorest has widened, according to a report by Karen Dunnell, the national statistician.

The study, the first in a series of reports on society, concluded that progress had been made in reducing inequalities, such as pay for women and educational attainment for some ethnic minority groups, but serious disparities remained.