Official Statistics

Universal Credit: 29 April 2013 to 9 January 2020

Official experimental statistics including the number of people and households on Universal Credit, starts and claims.

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Documents

Universal Credit: 29 April 2013 to 9 January 2020

Data tables: Universal Credit, experimental official statistics to 9 January 2019

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Details

The latest release of these statistics can be found in the Universal Credit statistics collection.

Official statistics (experimental) on Universal Credit for England, Scotland and Wales released according to arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

Summary tables for Universal Credit statistics are available on Stat-Xplore.

The bulletin and background information and methodology document have been reviewed and updated. The Universal Credit statistics production team encourage feedback on what changes are welcomed and what further improvements could be made. Email your feedback to: team.ucos@dwp.gov.uk.

These experimental statistics contain data for the total number of people:

  • who have submitted a claim for Universal Credit with a personal declaration to 9 January 2020
  • who have made a claim and have attended an initial interview, accepted their claimant commitment, and gone on to start Universal Credit up to 9 January 2020
  • who are on Universal Credit at 9 January 2020

They also contain data for the total number of households on Universal Credit at 14 November 2019.

All data is available on Stat-Xplore.

People on Universal Credit statistics has count data by:

  • Jobcentre Plus office
  • country, region, local authority and census area output
  • Westminster parliamentary constituency
  • postcode (district)
  • age
  • conditionality regime
  • duration
  • gender
  • employment status (to 12 December 2019)

Claims on Universal Credit statistics has count data by postcode (area).

Starts on Universal Credit statistics has count data by:

  • Jobcentre Plus office
  • postcode (area)
  • age
  • gender

Households on Universal Credit statistics has counts and average (mean) payment by:

  • Jobcentre Plus office
  • country, region, local authority and census area output
  • Westminster parliamentary constituency
  • postcode (district)
  • additional elements (carer, child, childcare, disabled child, housing (by tenure), limited capability to work
  • alternative payment arrangements (managed payment to landlord, more frequent payment, split payment)
  • Scottish choices (direct payment to landlord, more frequent payment)
  • family type
  • monthly award (bands)
  • payment indicator
  • payment timeliness (to 10 October 2019)

Interactive statistics

Alternative ways to view Universal Credit statistics are available:

Next releases

People on Universal Credit statistics are released monthly.

Next monthly release: 17 March 2020

Households on Universal Credit statistics, and claims and starts for Universal Credit are released quarterly.

Next quarterly release: 19 May 2020

Guidance

An updated background information and methodology guidance document has been published with this release, providing more information about Universal Credit statistics.

Pre-release access

In addition to staff who are responsible for the production and quality assurance of the statistics, up to 24 hour pre-release access is provided to ministers and other officials. We’ve published the job titles and organisations of the people who have been granted up to 24 hours pre-release access to the latest Universal Credit statistics

Feedback

Universal Credit statistics are continuously reviewed and developed in response to data availability and user feedback. Comments on the content, breadth, frequency and methodology of these statistics are welcome by sending an email to team.ucos@dwp.gov.uk.

Alternatively, engage with the Universal Credit statistics production team on the Welfare and Benefits board at StatsUserNet, the Royal Statistical Society’s interactive website for communication between users and producers of official statistics.

Published 18 February 2020