Universal Credit: spending and claimants by year
Spending on Universal Credit each financial year, in cash terms, from DWP's benefit expenditure tables, with the number of people receiving it where DWP gives a caseload.
£66.7 billion
5,473 thousand
DWP's benefit expenditure tables record spending on Universal Credit of £66.7 billion in 2024/25, in cash terms. The first year with spending in the tables is 2013/14 (£5.9 million). DWP's caseload for 2024/25 is 5,473 thousand.
Spending and caseload by year
| Year | Spending (cash) | Change on previous year | Caseload (thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | £66.7 billion | +28.1% | 5,473 |
| 2023/24 | £52.1 billion | +24.3% | 4,706 |
| 2022/23 | £41.9 billion | +3.3% | 4,229 |
| 2021/22 | £40.6 billion | +6.2% | 4,049 |
| 2020/21 | £38.2 billion | +108.0% | 3,873 |
| 2019/20 | £18.4 billion | +125.9% | 2,130 |
| 2018/19 | £8.1 billion | +144.8% | 1,282 |
| 2017/18 | £3.3 billion | +109.5% | 627 |
| 2016/17 | £1.6 billion | +223.0% | 373 |
| 2015/16 | £491 million | +773.5% | 130 |
| 2014/15 | £56 million | +852.5% | 13 |
| 2013/14 | £5.9 million | 2 |
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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