Almost everyone who dies in the UK now leaves a digital footprint of some kind, yet most people appear to have made no plan for it. In a survey of 14,631 Which? members carried out in April 2024, 76% said they had no plan for what should happen to their digital assets after death (Which?, April 2024).
This page pulls together published statistics on digital estates in England and Wales, and the wider UK, from named official and reputable sources. It sets out how many estates arise each year, how much of everyday and later life now runs online, and where digital assets can carry real financial value. Where a figure comes from a survey rather than official statistics, it is labelled as such. Tax figures are current as at July 2026 and are subject to change. This is general information, not advice.
Key figures at a glance
The headline numbers below come from named official statistics and one reputable membership survey. Each row shows the figure, its reference period and a link to the source. Reference periods differ, and the internet-use series was last published for 2020, so the picture is indicative rather than a single snapshot.
| Figure | What it measures | Source and period |
|---|---|---|
| 570,988 | Deaths registered in England and Wales | ONS, 2025 |
| 76% | Members with no plan for their digital assets after death | Which? survey, April 2024 |
| 3% | Members who had included digital assets in their will | Which? survey, April 2024 |
| 18% | Members who had left directions for accessing accounts | Which? survey, April 2024 |
| 92% | UK adults who were recent internet users | ONS, 2020 |
| 54% | Adults aged 75+ who were recent internet users | ONS, 2020 |
| 76% | Adults in Great Britain using internet banking | ONS, Jan to Feb 2020 |
| 96% | Households in Great Britain with internet access | ONS, Jan to Feb 2020 |
Sources as listed. Which? figures are membership-survey data, not official statistics, and members may not represent the whole population.
How many digital estates arise each year?
There were 570,988 deaths registered in England and Wales in 2025, an increase of 0.4% on the 568,613 registered in 2024 (ONS, 2025). Because most adults now hold email, banking or social accounts, a large share of those estates is likely to include a digital element of some kind.
There is no official count of how many estates contain digital assets, so any figure of that kind would be an estimate rather than a measured statistic. What the official data does show is the scale of the population passing through estate administration each year, and how widely online services are used. Read together, they suggest digital assets are now a routine feature of estates rather than an exception, though the exact proportion is not published.
Most people leave no plan
The clearest survey evidence on planning comes from Which?. Of 14,631 members surveyed in April 2024, 76% had no plan for their digital assets after death, only 18% had left directions for accessing accounts, and just 3% had included provisions in their will (Which?, April 2024). These are membership-survey figures, so they should be read as indicative rather than nationally representative.
The same research found that 6% of those surveyed had previously needed to access a deceased person's digital accounts (Which?, April 2024). A short letter of wishes alongside a will, or a note left with an executor, is one option some people consider, though platforms set their own access rules and no plan can promise access to every account.
Three in four surveyed had no plan for their digital estate. Fewer than one in twenty had written it into a will. Source: which.co.uk, survey of 14,631 members, April 2024, secondary source, subject to change.
Digital life in later years
Digital assets are not only a younger person's concern. In 2020, 92% of UK adults were recent internet users, up from 91% in 2019, and among adults aged 75 and over the figure was 54% (ONS, Internet users, UK, 2020). This ONS series was last published for 2020, so it understates today's likely position rather than overstating it.
Everyday financial life has moved online too. In January to February 2020, 76% of adults in Great Britain used internet banking and 96% of households had internet access (ONS, Internet access, 2020). The trend over the years the series ran points one way, as the table shows.
| Measure (Great Britain / UK) | Earlier | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults using internet banking | 30% (2007) | 73% | 76% |
| Households with internet access | n/a | 93% | 96% |
| Adults who were recent internet users | n/a | 91% | 92% |
Sources: ONS, Internet access, households and individuals, Great Britain, 2020 (internet banking, household access) and ONS, Internet users, UK, 2020 (recent internet users). Both series last published for 2020.
Where digital assets meet value and tax
Some digital assets carry real financial value and form part of an estate. Cryptoassets, domain names, monetised channels, online payment balances and certain digital files can pass to beneficiaries where the platform and the law allow. Where they do, their value is counted alongside everything else for inheritance tax. The standard inheritance tax rate is 40%, charged only on the part of an estate above the available tax-free thresholds, with the nil-rate band set at £325,000 per person (gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change).
Many other digital items have sentimental rather than financial value, and some cannot be passed on at all because they are licences to the individual rather than owned property. This is why some people choose to list valuable digital assets when they make a will and record how to reach them. You can read more in our guide to digital assets and your will, and in the wider estate planning guide.
What the numbers mean
Read together, the data points to a gap rather than a crisis. Online services are close to universal for households and common well into later life, and more than half a million estates pass through registration each year in England and Wales alone (ONS, 2025). Yet the survey evidence suggests planning has not caught up, with most people leaving no instructions (Which?, April 2024).
In our experience the practical difficulty is not usually tax but access: executors often know an account exists but cannot reach it, and providers apply their own rules. The figures cannot tell you what any individual estate needs, and survey data in particular should be treated with caution. What they can do is show why recording digital assets, and where relevant how to find them, has become a mainstream part of writing a will rather than a niche extra. It can be worth discussing anything of real value with a qualified professional.
Digital estates across the UK
The figures above cover England and Wales for deaths, and Great Britain or the UK for internet use, so they are not a single like-for-like measure. The law also differs by nation. England and Wales use a grant of probate, while Scotland uses confirmation and has its own succession rules, and Northern Ireland runs a separate but broadly similar system. There is currently no single UK-wide statutory regime setting out how digital assets pass on death, which is one reason planning matters wherever you live.
Sources and methodology
Every statistic on this page is drawn from a named source and linked at its point of use. Official statistics are used as primary sources; the Which? survey is used as a clearly attributed secondary source and reflects its members rather than the whole population. Figures are quoted as published, without rounding or extrapolation beyond what each source states.
- Deaths registered: ONS, Death registration summary statistics, England and Wales, reference year 2025.
- Recent internet users: ONS, Internet users, UK, reference year 2020 (series last published 2020).
- Internet banking and household access: ONS, Internet access, households and individuals, Great Britain, January to February 2020.
- Digital-death planning survey: Which?, survey of 14,631 members, April 2024 (secondary source).
- Inheritance tax rate and nil-rate band: gov.uk, Inheritance Tax, as at July 2026, subject to change.
Frequently asked questions
How many people in the UK plan for their digital assets after death?
Relatively few, on the available survey evidence. In a Which? survey of 14,631 members in April 2024, 76% had no plan for their digital assets after death, 18% had left directions for accessing accounts and 3% had included provisions in their will (Which?, April 2024). These are membership figures, so they are indicative rather than nationally representative.
How many estates arise in England and Wales each year?
There were 570,988 deaths registered in England and Wales in 2025, up 0.4% on the 568,613 registered in 2024 (ONS, 2025). Not every death leads to a grant of probate, and there is no official figure for how many of these estates contain digital assets, so that share can only be estimated.
Do digital assets count towards inheritance tax?
They can, where they have value and form part of the estate. Cryptoassets, domain names and online balances are examples that may carry value. Their value is counted with everything else, and inheritance tax is charged at 40% only above the available thresholds, with a nil-rate band of £325,000 per person (gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change). Many digital items have no financial value at all.
Are older people affected by digital estates?
Often, yes. In 2020, 54% of UK adults aged 75 and over were recent internet users, against 92% of all adults (ONS, 2020). Because that ONS series was last published for 2020, later figures are likely to be higher. Online banking and email are common across age groups, so digital assets are not only a concern for younger people.
Can I leave my online accounts to someone in my will?
Sometimes, but not always. Some digital assets, such as files, domains or balances, may pass to beneficiaries, while others are personal licences that cannot be transferred, and each platform sets its own rules. Many people choose to list valuable digital assets and record how to find them. Our guide on How to Write a Will explains where this fits.
Is there a single UK law on digital assets after death?
Not at present. There is no single UK-wide statutory regime setting out how digital assets pass on death. England and Wales use probate, Scotland uses confirmation with its own succession rules, and Northern Ireland has a separate but broadly similar system. Because the position depends on the platform and the jurisdiction, it can be worth taking advice where digital assets have real value.