The latest official figures indicate that around 24 million people in the UK are receiving some form of state benefit, including the State Pension and working‑age benefits.
Latest headline numbers
- Government statistics for February 2025 show that about 24 million people were claiming at least one Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit.
- Of these, roughly 13.1 million were receiving the State Pension, around 10 million were working‑age claimants, and about 800,000 were children under 16 receiving Disability Living Allowance.
What “on benefits” usually covers
- These totals include a wide range of payments such as State Pension, Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Housing Benefit, Attendance Allowance, and others.
- Universal Credit alone accounts for around 7.5–7.9 million claimants in mid‑2025, but many of these people also receive other benefits at the same time.
Share of the population
- With a UK population of around 68–69 million, 24 million claimants means roughly one‑third of people receive at least one benefit, though many are pensioners rather than out‑of‑work adults.
- The number has risen since before the pandemic, when the total was closer to 20–21 million claimants, reflecting demographic change and economic and health pressures.
If you mean only working‑age out‑of‑work benefits (like unemployment‑related support), that is a smaller subset of the 10 million working‑age claimants, and can be narrowed down using specific benefit categories.
