The number of people receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) has reached a record level, with new Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures showing 4.09 million people were entitled to the benefit by 31 July 2026.
PIP is designed to help people with the extra costs linked to disabilities and long-term physical or mental health conditions. The latest figures provide an overview of the conditions most frequently recorded among claimants and come as the government reviews how the disability benefits system operates.
Mental Health Conditions Account for Largest Share of PIP Claims
According to DWP figures, psychiatric disorders were the largest disability category among PIP claimants at the end of July 2026, accounting for 1.60 million people, or 39% of the total caseload.
The data shows increases in several recorded mental health-related conditions since comparable records began in January 2019. Autism spectrum disorders were listed for 268,965 claimants in July 2026, compared with 79,395 in January 2019. Mixed anxiety and depressive disorders were recorded for 442,666 people, up from 171,833 over the same period.
Hyperkinetic disorders, including ADHD and ADD, were recorded for 106,087 claimants, compared with 23,741 in January 2019, according to figures analysed by the Press Association.
The overall number of people entitled to PIP has grown from 2.05 million in January 2019 to 4.09 million in July 2026. The latest annual increase was 262,045 people, representing a rise of 7% compared with the previous year.
People aged 50 and over made up the largest age group, accounting for 55% of all claimants. Those aged 30 to 49 represented almost 29%, while people aged 16 to 29 accounted for nearly 17%. Of the total caseload, 3.4 million recipients were of working age and 690,000 had reached State Pension age.
Review Examines Future of Disability Benefit System
The rise in PIP claims comes as the government considers changes to the disability benefits system. Sir Stephen Timms, minister for social security and disability, is leading a review of PIP, which was commissioned to make recommendations on how the benefit can operate in the future.
According to the interim report published in the summer, the current system had become a barrier to work for some people, and the application process was described as “dehumanising”. The review stated that changes were needed to make the system “fit and fair for the future”.
The number of successful new PIP claims has also changed in recent years. In July 2026, 35.8% of new applications were granted, while 61.4% were disallowed and 2.8% were withdrawn before a decision was reached.
General musculoskeletal diseases were the second most common disability category among claimants, affecting 764,305 people, or 19% of the total. According to government figures reported by the BBC, spending on PIP stood at £16.3bn in 2019-20 when adjusted for inflation to current prices, rising to £27.3bn by 2024-25.
