Jobseeker's Allowance: spending and claimants by year
Spending on Jobseeker's Allowance each financial year, in cash terms, from DWP's benefit expenditure tables, with the number of people receiving it where DWP gives a caseload.
£313 million
68 thousand
DWP's benefit expenditure tables record spending on Jobseeker's Allowance of £313 million in 2024/25, in cash terms. The first year with spending in the tables is 1996/97 (£2.2 billion). DWP's caseload for 2024/25 is 68 thousand; the highest in the table is 1,931 thousand in 1996/97. Cash spending was highest in 2012/13, at £5.2 billion.
Spending and caseload by year
| Year | Spending (cash) | Change on previous year | Caseload (thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | £313 million | – | 68 |
| 2023/24 | £313 million | -6.1% | 73 |
| 2022/23 | £334 million | -32.0% | 78 |
| 2021/22 | £490 million | -53.1% | 127 |
| 2020/21 | £1.0 billion | +46.6% | 277 |
| 2019/20 | £714 million | -45.0% | 171 |
| 2018/19 | £1.3 billion | -22.1% | 333 |
| 2017/18 | £1.7 billion | -11.1% | 443 |
| 2016/17 | £1.9 billion | -18.9% | 564 |
| 2015/16 | £2.3 billion | -24.5% | 652 |
| 2014/15 | £3.1 billion | -29.3% | 885 |
| 2013/14 | £4.3 billion | -16.1% | 1,273 |
| 2012/13 | £5.2 billion | +4.8% | 1,507 |
| 2011/12 | £4.9 billion | +10.3% | 1,515 |
| 2010/11 | £4.5 billion | -4.5% | 1,415 |
| 2009/10 | £4.7 billion | +64.0% | 1,538 |
| 2008/09 | £2.9 billion | +27.5% | 1,025 |
| 2007/08 | £2.2 billion | -8.1% | 818 |
| 2006/07 | £2.4 billion | +5.6% | 927 |
| 2005/06 | £2.3 billion | +4.8% | 870 |
| 2004/05 | £2.2 billion | -13.9% | 819 |
| 2003/04 | £2.6 billion | -2.5% | 898 |
| 2002/03 | £2.6 billion | +0.7% | 920 |
| 2001/02 | £2.6 billion | -9.6% | 932 |
| 2000/01 | £2.9 billion | -11.5% | 1,022 |
| 1999/00 | £3.3 billion | -8.5% | 1,177 |
| 1998/99 | £3.6 billion | -8.6% | 1,110 |
| 1997/98 | £3.9 billion | +79.8% | 1,252 |
| 1996/97 | £2.2 billion | 1,931 |
Source: DWP expenditure tables, Tables 1a and 1c. About these figures · CSV
Rates and related figures
Sources and receipts
- Benefit expenditure and caseload tables: outturn and forecast, Spring Forecast 2026, Department for Work and Pensions.
File: outturn-and-forecast-tables-spring-forecast-2026.xlsx. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256
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