How many people claim unemployment-related benefits?
1.69 million people claimed unemployment-related benefits in August 2026, 4.4% of the working-age population. The lowest we show is 0.76 million (February 2016) and the highest 2.96 million (December 1992).
Million people, August 2026.
Of people aged 16 to 64, August 2026.
The claimant count over time
What’s this?
The number of people claiming Universal Credit (in the groups expected to look for work) or Jobseeker's Allowance, seasonally adjusted.
What it cannot tell you: It counts people claiming benefits, not everyone out of work, and the move to Universal Credit widened who counts as a claimant, so recent years are not comparable with the 1990s.
What’s this?
The claimant count as a share of the population aged 16 to 64, seasonally adjusted.
What it cannot tell you: The move to Universal Credit widened who counts as a claimant, so recent years are not comparable with the 1990s.
Month by month
| Period | People claiming unemployment-related benefits | Claimants as a share of the working-age population |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1.69 | 4.4% |
| July 2026 | 1.66 | 4.3% |
| June 2026 | 1.68 | 4.4% |
| May 2026 | 1.68 | 4.4% |
| April 2026 | 1.68 | 4.4% |
| March 2026 | 1.67 | 4.4% |
| February 2026 | 1.67 | 4.3% |
| January 2026 | 1.65 | 4.3% |
| December 2025 | 1.65 | 4.3% |
| November 2025 | 1.65 | 4.3% |
| October 2025 | 1.66 | 4.3% |
| September 2025 | 1.66 | 4.3% |
Questions people ask
What is the claimant count?
The number of people claiming Universal Credit (in the groups expected to look for work) or Jobseeker's Allowance. It is not the same as unemployment, which is measured by a survey. See unemployment.
Can I compare it with the 1990s?
Only roughly. Universal Credit counts more people than the old Jobseeker's Allowance, including some in work on low pay, so recent figures are not directly comparable with the 1990s.
What does “people claiming unemployment-related benefits” measure?
The number of people claiming Universal Credit (in the groups expected to look for work) or Jobseeker's Allowance, seasonally adjusted. It was 1.69 (million people) in August 2026, down 34% on January 2021. The highest we have is 2.96 (December 1992) and the lowest 0.76 (February 2016).
What does “claimants as a share of the working-age population” measure?
The claimant count as a share of the population aged 16 to 64, seasonally adjusted. It was 4.4% (% of people aged 16 to 64) in August 2026, down 2.5 points on January 2021. The highest we have is 9.9% (December 1992) and the lowest 2.1% (February 2016).
Sources: ONS. Updated every night. Each chart has a CSV and a Share button.
See also: Unemployment · Jobs and growth