Universal Credit claims in Britain have risen to a record 8.3 million, according to new figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The data also shows that the proportion of claimants currently in employment has fallen over the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The figures have intensified debate over welfare spending <\/strong>and employment policy, with both Labour ministers and Conservative critics disputing the causes behind the increase. According to the DWP, much of the growth is linked to the ongoing transfer of people from older benefits onto Universal Credit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The latest statistics cover February 2026 and mark the highest number of Universal Credit claimants since the system was introduced in 2013. At the same time, the number of people classified as having \u201cno work requirements\u201d has risen sharply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to figures published by the DWP, the total number of Universal Credit claimants increased by 830,000<\/strong> over a 12-month period, rising from 7.5 million in February 2025 to more than 8 million by February 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the overall caseload increased, the proportion of claimants in work declined. In January 2026, around 3.1 million people receiving Universal Credit were employed in some form, representing 37.8 per cent<\/strong> of the total caseload. A year earlier, 3.2 million claimants were working, accounting for 43.3 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Sun reported that among those employed, approximately 2.5 million were in standard PAYE jobs, around 500,000 were self-employed, and roughly 100,000 combined both forms of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The figures also revealed changes in the composition of claimants. Around 4.2 million people are now placed in the \u201cno work requirements\u201d category, meaning they are not expected to actively seek employment, often because of illness <\/strong>or disability<\/strong>. This group now represents half of all Universal Credit claimants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to GB News, the number of people in this category increased by one million between February 2025 and February 2026. The category first became the largest claimant group in April 2022 after overtaking those actively searching for work.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEmployment among Claimants Falls as Overall Caseload Rises<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n