Big Issue brand hits milestone of putting £200 million in vendors’ pockets worldwide

• First founded in the UK 35 years ago, street papers with the Big Issue brand are currently sold in at least five different countries, including Australia, Japan and South Korea
• The milestone of £200 million earned by vendors from sales of the Big Issue has been announced on Global Vendor Week

Wednesday 18 February – More than £200 million pounds has been earned by street vendors selling versions of the Big Issue magazine across the world.

The Big Issue started in the UK in 1991 and soon became the best-selling street paper in the world. The brand quickly spread globally, with five distinct, independent Big Issues produced and sold in countries across the world as of 2026.

In line with Global Vendor Week (16-22 February), Big Issue Group in the UK has revealed that its magazine and its sister publications have now generated more than £200 million pounds of earnings for their vendors across the globe.

The milestone comes just under 35 years after the first Big Issue was sold on the streets of London in September 1991.

Big Issue vendors in the UK alone have collectively earned more than £162 million from sales of the magazine in the past 35 years, while Big Issue Australia, launched in Melbourne in 1996, has aided vendors to earn more than $41.9 million Aus dollars (£21 million) in their history.

The much younger Big Issue Japan, established in 2003, has put more than 1 billion yen (£7.8 million) in vendors’ pockets. Other Big Issues are currently being published in South Korea and Taiwan, each generating millions in earnings for their sellers over the years.

All Big Issues utilise the same model offering people experiencing extreme poverty and marginalisation a way to earn an income. In the UK, vendors buy their magazines for £2.50, selling them for £5; in South Korea, magazines cost 2,500 won and are sold for 5,000; and in Australia, vendors buy for $4.50 and sell for $9.00.

In the UK, more than 3,500 vendors were supported to earn an income in 2024, with Big Issue Group’s additional services helping 350 job candidates into work through Big Issue Recruit and investing in 139 social businesses via Big Issue Invest.

Grant Elder (64) previously sold the Big Issue in Canberra, Australia, but now sells the UK magazine in Edinburgh, Scotland. Elder said: “At first, when I sold the magazine in Canberra, I was very ashamed of what I was doing. I thought, oh god, it’s like begging.

“But now I understand it’s not like begging. People are helping me. People here, they just give me hope for the future, put it that way. It’s not all about getting money from people, it’s about feeling you’re a valued human being.

“I’ve also met some great people doing Big Issue. I’ve met a few of them for coffee in town. I’m not lonely, to put it that way! I’ve got people to talk to and people that genuinely care. When you’re a bit down and you’re lonely, that’s a big thing. That encourages me to keep going.”

Lord John Bird, the founder of the Big Issue, said: “When we started nearly 35 years ago, the 501 other homeless organisations all doubted our model could work. Nobody would have predicted that the Big Issue name would become known around the world.

“The whole point of the Big Issue was never charity. It was bringing homeless people to the marketplace to earn their own money through trade. Working, not begging. A way of restoring respect and dignity back to people left with none.

“Please respect that core principle and whenever you buy the Big Issue – wherever you buy the Big Issue – take the magazine you buy.”

Steven Persson, CEO of Big Issue Australia, added: “Across cities around the world, Big Issue vendors are part of the everyday fabric of urban life – familiar faces offering a greeting as we pass.

“In Australia, where the Big Issue has been operating for 30 years, this model has worked quietly and consistently. During Vendor Week, we invite the public to pause, acknowledge and truly see vendors as workers, business owners and people with pride, purpose and plans for the future.”

You can find out more about Global Vendor Week and the other Big Issues around the world in this week’s UK edition of the Big Issue, on sale now from vendors.