UK Welfare Statistics
Comprehensive statistics on UK welfare, benefits, asylum support, poverty, and social care. Data updated daily from official government sources.
Headline UK Welfare Statistics
Key figures showing the scale of welfare provision across the UK
Universal Credit & Working-Age Benefits
Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit for working-age people. It replaces six legacy benefits and is now the primary working-age benefit in the UK.
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| Searching for work | 1.8m | 28.2% |
| Work preparation | 1.2m | 19.2% |
| Working with requirements | 430k | 6.7% |
| No work requirements | 2.8m | 43.5% |
| Work focused interview | 156k | 2.4% |
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| 18-24 | 880k | 13.7% |
| 25-34 | 1.5m | 23.4% |
| 35-44 | 1.4m | 21.8% |
| 45-54 | 1.3m | 20.2% |
| 55-64 | 1.0m | 16.2% |
| 65+ | 300k | 4.7% |
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| London | 950k | 14.8% |
| North West | 810k | 12.6% |
| South East | 780k | 12.1% |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 560k | 8.7% |
| West Midlands | 540k | 8.4% |
| East of England | 480k | 7.5% |
Showing top 6 of 12 categories
Disability & Special Needs Support
Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in Scotland provide support for people with disabilities and health conditions.
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatric disorders | 1.3m | 36.5% |
| Musculoskeletal disease (general) | 520k | 14.2% |
| Neurological disease | 380k | 10.4% |
| Musculoskeletal disease (regional) | 290k | 7.9% |
| Respiratory disease | 180k | 4.9% |
| Cardiovascular disease | 150k | 4.1% |
| Endocrine disease | 140k | 3.8% |
| Visual disease | 120k | 3.3% |
Showing top 8 of 10 categories
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| Mental and behavioural disorders | 680k | 44.7% |
| Diseases of the musculoskeletal system | 230k | 15.1% |
| Diseases of the nervous system | 140k | 9.2% |
| Diseases of the circulatory system | 86k | 5.7% |
| Other | 384k | 25.3% |
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| 16-24 | 210k | 5.7% |
| 25-34 | 520k | 14.2% |
| 35-44 | 610k | 16.6% |
| 45-54 | 730k | 19.9% |
| 55-64 | 780k | 21.3% |
| 65-74 | 520k | 14.2% |
| 75+ | 300k | 8.2% |
Asylum & Refugee Support
Support provided to asylum seekers while their claims are processed, including Section 95 cash support, Section 4 support, and accommodation including hotels.
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 28k | 27.5% |
| Iran | 14k | 13.7% |
| Syria | 11k | 10.8% |
| Sudan | 9k | 8.8% |
| Eritrea | 8k | 7.8% |
| Iraq | 7k | 6.9% |
| Albania | 5k | 4.9% |
| Vietnam | 4k | 3.9% |
Showing top 8 of 9 categories
Daily Allowance Rates (Section 95)
Asylum seekers receive significantly less than UK benefit claimants - approximately £6.77 per day for a single adult.
Poverty & Income Metrics
Official poverty statistics from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset, based on the Family Resources Survey. Measures relative and absolute poverty before and after housing costs.
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Single working-age adult without children | 30 |
| Single working-age adult with children | 48 |
| Couple with children | 25 |
| Couple without children | 11 |
| Single pensioner | 22 |
| Couple pensioner | 14 |
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| London | 27 |
| North East | 24 |
| West Midlands | 23 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 22 |
| North West | 22 |
| East Midlands | 21 |
| South West | 19 |
| South East | 18 |
Showing top 8 of 12 categories
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| White | 18 |
| Mixed | 30 |
| Indian | 18 |
| Pakistani/Bangladeshi | 46 |
| Black | 38 |
| Other | 35 |
Food Bank Use (Emergency Parcels)
Housing & Homelessness
Statutory homelessness statistics from DLUHC showing households owed a duty under the Homelessness Reduction Act, and rough sleeping estimates.
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| End of private rented tenancy | 32k | 24.6% |
| Friends/family no longer able to accommodate | 27k | 20.8% |
| Domestic abuse | 22k | 16.9% |
| Non-violent relationship breakdown | 15k | 11.5% |
| Other reasons | 34k | 26.2% |
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| London | 63k | 53.8% |
| South East | 14k | 12.0% |
| North West | 10k | 8.5% |
| East of England | 8k | 6.8% |
| South West | 7k | 6.0% |
| West Midlands | 6k | 5.1% |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 5k | 4.3% |
| East Midlands | 4k | 3.4% |
Carers & Carer Support
Carer's Allowance recipients and estimates of unpaid carers from the Census.
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | 120k | 8.3% |
| 25-34 | 220k | 15.2% |
| 35-44 | 280k | 19.3% |
| 45-54 | 350k | 24.1% |
| 55-64 | 380k | 26.2% |
| 65+ | 100k | 6.9% |
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 hours | 2.1m | 36.8% |
| 20-34 hours | 700k | 12.3% |
| 35-49 hours | 500k | 8.8% |
| 50+ hours | 2.4m | 42.1% |
State Pension & Child Benefit
State Pension recipients and expenditure, plus Child Benefit statistics from HMRC.
NHS & Welfare Overlaps
Statistics on the intersection between health conditions and welfare claims, including mental health and long-term sickness.
| Category | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| Depression | 850k | |
| Anxiety disorders | 620k | |
| Other psychiatric disorders | 570k | |
| Psychosis | 120k | |
| Personality disorders | 85k | |
| Other | 695k |
Devolved Nations
Welfare benefits that are devolved to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with notes on variations.
🏴 Scotland
🏴 Wales
Wales does not have significant devolved welfare powers. Most benefits are administered by DWP UK-wide. Welsh Government provides discretionary assistance via the Discretionary Assistance Fund.
🇬🇧 Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has some devolved social security powers but generally mirrors GB system. Universal Credit is administered by DWP.
Sources & Methodology
Information about data sources, definitions, and quality considerations.
- All figures are rounded to the nearest thousand or percentage point.
- Geographic coverage varies by dataset - most cover Great Britain or the United Kingdom. Check individual sources for specific coverage.
- Time series data may include breaks where methodology has changed.
- Some breakdowns (e.g., by ethnicity, disability status) may have small sample sizes and should be interpreted with caution.
- Welfare reforms and policy changes affect comparability over time.
- Devolved nations have different welfare systems - Scottish benefits are marked separately.
Coverage Note
Most statistics cover Great Britain or the United Kingdom. Some datasets (e.g., adult social care) cover England only. Scottish devolved benefits are administered separately by Social Security Scotland. Check individual source links for specific geographic coverage.
Data Sources
This dashboard compiles data from the following official sources: