Constituency in Scotland

Orkney and Shetland

In Orkney and Shetland, spending on working-age benefits per person aged 16 to 64 was lower than in 85% of constituencies in 2024-25.

44,800 residents (mid-2024) · Member of Parliament: Mr Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat, since 7 June 2001

See it on the map Compare with Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey

Prices

Adjusted for inflation (GDP deflator)Adjusted for inflation (CPI)Cash, not adjusted

Money in 2026-27 prices, adjusted for inflation so that years can be compared2026-27 prices, using CPI inflation, adjusted for inflation so that years can be comparedcash terms, not adjusted for inflation.

At a glance

How does Orkney and Shetland compare?

We divide each type of spending by the people it is for. A rank of 1 is the highest of the constituencies in Great Britain. Money is in 2026-27 prices2026-27 prices, using CPI inflationcash terms, not adjusted for inflation.

All benefits
£3,600£3,615£3,415
per resident, 2024-25^1-11
Not ranked: covers only some benefits
Great Britain: £4,441£4,460£4,212
Shared outEstimated
Pensioner benefits
£9,413£9,453£8,928
per person aged 66 and over, 2024-25^{1-3, 6, 8-11}
Not ranked: covers only some benefits
Great Britain: £12,728£12,782£12,073
Shared outEstimated
Working-age benefits
£1,342£1,348£1,273
per person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25^{1-3, 7, 9-11}
540th of 632, lower than in 85% of constituencies
Great Britain: £2,093£2,102£1,985
Shared outEstimated

Show the numbers

Main figures for Orkney and Shetland
Measure	Value	Rank	Great Britain
Benefit spending, per resident, 2024-25	£3,600£3,615£3,415	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£4,441£4,460£4,212
Spending on pensioner benefits, per person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£9,413£9,453£8,928	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£12,728£12,782£12,073
Spending on working-age benefits, per person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£1,342£1,348£1,273	540th of 632	£2,093£2,102£1,985

Spending by benefit, 2024-25

Where does Orkney and Shetland's benefit money go?

People here received £161.3 million£162.0 million£153.0 million in benefits in 2024-25, in 2026-27 prices2026-27 prices, using CPI inflationcash terms, not adjusted for inflation. Each square is £1 million.^1-11

Dotted squares are estimates.

State Pension£86.9m£87.3m£82.4m54%
Pension Credit£3.0m£3.0m£2.8m2%
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment£6.5m£6.6m£6.2m4%Shared outEstimated
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment£0.16m£0.16m£0.15m0.1%Shared outEstimated
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment£17.9m£18.0m£17.0m11%Shared outEstimated
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Payment£5.7m£5.7m£5.4m4%Shared outEstimated
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment£1.9m£1.9m£1.8m1%Shared outEstimated
Universal Credit£25.0m£25.1m£23.7m15%
Housing Benefit£5.3m£5.3m£5.0m3%
Employment and Support Allowance£8.5m£8.5m£8.0m5%
Jobseeker's Allowance£0.05m£0.05m£0.05m0.0%
Income Support£0.10m£0.10m£0.10m0.1%
Other benefits£0.24m£0.24m£0.23m0.2%Shared outEstimated

Show the numbers

Spending by benefit in Orkney and Shetland, 2024-25
Benefit	Spending	Share	Figure type
State Pension	£86.9m£87.3m£82.4m	54%	Published
Pension Credit	£3.0m£3.0m£2.8m	2%	Published
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment	£6.5m£6.6m£6.2m	4%	Shared outEstimated
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment	£0.16m£0.16m£0.15m	0.1%	Shared outEstimated
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment	£17.9m£18.0m£17.0m	11%	Shared outEstimated
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Payment	£5.7m£5.7m£5.4m	4%	Shared outEstimated
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment	£1.9m£1.9m£1.8m	1%	Shared outEstimated
Universal Credit	£25.0m£25.1m£23.7m	15%	Published
Housing Benefit	£5.3m£5.3m£5.0m	3%	Published
Employment and Support Allowance	£8.5m£8.5m£8.0m	5%	Published
Jobseeker's Allowance	£0.05m£0.05m£0.05m	0.0%	Published
Income Support	£0.10m£0.10m£0.10m	0.1%	Published
Other benefits	£0.24m£0.24m£0.23m	0.2%	Shared outEstimated
All benefits	£161.3m£162.0m£153.0m	100%	Total

More about Orkney and Shetland

How has it changed over time?

Trends

Spending and claims over time

Each small chart starts at zero and has its own scale. Spending is in 2026-27 prices2026-27 prices, using CPI inflationcash terms, not adjusted for inflation. Dotted years are estimates. A dashed line marks a change to boundaries or methods.^1-11

Spending per person in the age group

All benefits
per resident
£3,600£3,615£3,4152024-25
2023-242024-25
Pensioner benefits
per person aged 66 and over
£9,413£9,453£8,9282024-25
2023-242024-25
Working-age benefits
per person aged 16 to 64
£1,342£1,348£1,2732024-25
2018-192024-25
State Pension
per person aged 66 and over
£8,470£8,506£8,0342024-25
2023-242024-25
Pension Credit
per person aged 66 and over
£290£291£2752024-25
2018-192024-25
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment
per person aged 66 and over
£637£640£6042024-25
2018-192024-25
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment
per person aged 66 and over
£16£16£152024-25
2021-222024-25
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment
per resident
£400£402£3792024-25
2018-192024-25
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Payment
per resident
£128£128£1212024-25
2018-192024-25
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment
per person aged 16 to 64
£72£72£682024-25
2018-192024-25
Universal Credit
per person aged 16 to 64
£945£949£8972024-25
2019-202024-25
Housing Benefit
per resident
£119£119£1132024-25
2018-192024-25
Employment and Support Allowance
per person aged 16 to 64
£320£321£3032024-25
2018-192024-25
Jobseeker's Allowance
per person aged 16 to 64
£1.94£1.95£1.842024-25
2018-192024-25
Income Support
per person aged 16 to 64
£3.87£3.89£3.672024-25
2018-192024-25
Other benefits
per resident
£5.43£5.45£5.152024-25
2018-192024-25

Show the numbers

Spending trends in Orkney and Shetland
Measure	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25
All benefits, per resident						£3,105£3,071£2,834	£3,600£3,615£3,415
Pensioner benefits, per person aged 66 and over						£8,054£7,966£7,351	£9,413£9,453£8,928
Working-age benefits, per person aged 16 to 64	£548£549£410	£783£793£601	£1,051£1,111£848	£1,060£1,083£859	£1,039£1,032£901	£1,153£1,140£1,052	£1,342£1,348£1,273
State Pension, per person aged 66 and over						£6,765£6,691£6,174	£8,470£8,506£8,034
Pension Credit, per person aged 66 and over	£389£390£291	£356£361£274	£345£365£279	£317£324£257	£286£284£248	£287£284£262	£290£291£275
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment, per person aged 66 and over	£550£552£411	£591£598£454	£548£579£442	£527£538£427	£516£512£447	£579£573£529	£637£640£604
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, per person aged 66 and over				£205£209£166	£440£437£381	£423£418£386	£16£16£15
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment, per resident	£196£196£146	£225£228£173	£265£280£214	£289£295£234	£307£305£267	£364£360£333	£400£402£379
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Payment, per resident	£568£570£425	£499£505£383	£112£119£91	£107£110£87	£106£105£92	£119£118£109	£128£128£121
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment, per person aged 16 to 64	£56£56£42	£63£64£48	£62£66£50	£62£63£50	£61£60£53	£67£66£61	£72£72£68
Universal Credit, per person aged 16 to 64		£276£280£212	£576£609£465	£619£632£502	£633£629£549	£749£741£684	£945£949£897
Housing Benefit, per resident	£207£208£155	£184£186£141	£166£176£134	£153£156£124	£136£135£118	£126£125£115	£119£119£113
Employment and Support Allowance, per person aged 16 to 64	£446£448£334	£415£420£318	£383£405£309	£363£371£295	£330£328£286	£325£322£297	£320£321£303
Jobseeker's Allowance, per person aged 16 to 64	£17£17£13	£7.52£7.61£5.77	£14£15£11	£4.28£4.37£3.47	£2.69£2.67£2.33	£2.41£2.38£2.20	£1.94£1.95£1.84
Income Support, per person aged 16 to 64	£28£28£21	£22£22£17	£16£17£13	£12£12£9.53	£12£12£11	£9.65£9.55£8.81	£3.87£3.89£3.67
Other benefits, per resident	£13£13£9.94	£14£14£11	£13£14£11	£8.79£8.97£7.12	£8.61£8.55£7.47	£6.73£6.65£6.14	£5.43£5.45£5.15

People receiving benefits, per 1,000

State Pension
per 1,000 people aged 66 and over
990.7March 2026
May 2025March 2026
Pension Credit
per 1,000 people aged 66 and over
69.7March 2026
May 2025March 2026
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment
per 1,000 people aged 66 and over
150.6March 2026
March 2026March 2026
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment
per 1,000 residents
61.5July 2026
July 2026July 2026
Universal Credit
per 1,000 people aged 16 to 64
124.1May 2026
May 2025May 2026
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment
per 1,000 people aged 16 to 64
17.7March 2026
March 2026March 2026

Show the numbers

Trends in people receiving benefits in Orkney and Shetland
Measure	May 2025	July 2025	August 2025	October 2025	November 2025	January 2026	February 2026	March 2026	April 2026	May 2026	July 2026
State Pension, per 1,000 people aged 66 and over	981.2		986.5		991.7			990.7
Pension Credit, per 1,000 people aged 66 and over	72.9		71.6		71.6			69.7
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment, per 1,000 people aged 66 and over	No value		No value		No value			150.6
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment, per 1,000 residents		No value		No value		No value			No value		61.5
Universal Credit, per 1,000 people aged 16 to 64	114.5		119.9		124.4		125.1			124.1
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment, per 1,000 people aged 16 to 64	No value		No value		No value			17.7

Is spending what you would expect?

Compared with similar areas

Spending compared with the expected level

We work out an expected level of spending from the share of children and of people aged 66 and over, how deprived the area is, typical pay and which nation it is in. This compares the area with similar areas. It does not measure need.

Each bar starts at the expected level. A bar reaches the edge when the difference is larger than in 98% of constituencies.

All benefits, per resident^{1-11, 14-17}
Actual £3,600£3,615£3,415Expected £4,630£4,650£4,392Difference −£1,030−£1,035−£977
Benefit spending per resident was £1,030 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Benefit spending per resident was £1,035 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Benefit spending per resident was £977 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay. Across all constituencies, these factors explain 84% of the differences in this measure.
Pensioner benefits, per person aged 66 and over^{1-3, 6, 8-11, 14-17}
Actual £9,413£9,453£8,928Expected £12,588£12,642£11,941Difference −£3,176−£3,189−£3,012
Spending on pensioner benefits per person aged 66 and over was £3,176 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Spending on pensioner benefits per person aged 66 and over was £3,189 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Spending on pensioner benefits per person aged 66 and over was £3,012 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay. Across all constituencies, these factors explain 39% of the differences in this measure.
Working-age benefits, per person aged 16 to 64^{1-3, 7, 9-11, 14-17}
Actual £1,342£1,348£1,273Expected £1,606£1,613£1,524Difference −£264−£265−£250
Spending on working-age benefits per person aged 16 to 64 was £264 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Spending on working-age benefits per person aged 16 to 64 was £265 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Spending on working-age benefits per person aged 16 to 64 was £250 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay. Across all constituencies, these factors explain 85% of the differences in this measure.

The expected level comes from one statistical model across all areas of the same type. It uses ages, deprivation within each nation, typical pay and nation, and the methods page lists its figures. The difference compares an area only with areas that are similar on these measures. Rents, disability, household make-up and how many eligible people claim are not in the model, so the difference does not measure need.

How we work out the expected level

Show the numbers

Actual and expected spending in Orkney and Shetland
Measure	Actual	Expected	Difference
All benefits, per resident	£3,600£3,615£3,415	£4,630£4,650£4,392	−£1,030−£1,035−£977
Pensioner benefits, per person aged 66 and over	£9,413£9,453£8,928	£12,588£12,642£11,941	−£3,176−£3,189−£3,012
Working-age benefits, per person aged 16 to 64	£1,342£1,348£1,273	£1,606£1,613£1,524	−£264−£265−£250

How much income tax do residents pay?

Income tax only

Benefit spending and income tax paid by residents

In 2023-24, people in Orkney and Shetland received £0.92 in benefits for each £1 of income tax that residents paid. Both figures are per resident, for the same tax year, 2023-24. Income tax is only one tax. There are no area figures for National Insurance, VAT or council tax.

Income tax paid by residents (income tax only), per resident^9-13: £3,392£3,355£3,096; Survey estimate
Benefit spending, per resident: £3,105£3,071£2,834
Benefits for each £1 of income tax^{1-8, 12-13}: £0.92; Not ranked: covers only some benefits

Income tax only. There are no area figures for National Insurance, VAT, council tax or other taxes.

HMRC estimates income tax by area from a sample survey, the Survey of Personal Incomes, based on where taxpayers live. Figures for small areas are less certain, and HMRC does not publish some of them.

Spending and income tax are for the same year. Constituency income tax on the 2024 boundaries is only published for 2023-24.

Who lives here?

Profile

Deprivation and age

England, Wales and Scotland each measure deprivation in their own way. So we compare Orkney and Shetland only with other areas in Scotland.

Group 8 of 10 in Scotland, where group 1 is the most deprived tenth of areas. Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020.¹⁶

Residents by age, mid-2024

Aged 0 to 157,47717%
Aged 16 to 6426,44259%
Aged 656211%
Aged 66 and over10,26023%
All residents44,800100%

Figures by disability condition are published for Scotland as a whole, not for areas in Scotland.

Who was elected here in 2024?

General election, 4 July 2024

How did Orkney and Shetland vote in 2024?

Shares of the 20,688 valid votes.¹⁸

Winning party: Liberal Democrat; Alistair Carmichael
Majority: 7,807; 37.7% of valid votes
Turnout: 60.4%; Valid votes as a share of the 34,236 people registered to vote

Liberal Democrat11,39255.1%
Scottish National Party3,58517.3%
Scottish Green Party2,0469.9%
Reform UK1,5867.7%
Labour1,4937.2%
Conservative5862.8%

Results of the general election on 4 July 2024. Turnout is valid votes as a share of the people registered to vote. The majority is the winner's lead over the second candidate, as votes and as a share of valid votes. By-elections and changes of party since then are not shown. The MP named at the top of the page is the current one.

Show the numbers

General election results in Orkney and Shetland, 4 July 2024
Party	Candidate	Votes	Share
Liberal Democrat	Alistair Carmichael	11,392	55.1%
Scottish National Party	Robert Leslie	3,585	17.3%
Scottish Green Party	Alex Armitage	2,046	9.9%
Reform UK	Robert Smith	1,586	7.7%
Labour	Conor Savage	1,493	7.2%
Conservative	Shane Painter	586	2.8%

Which areas are most like this one?

Similar areas

The 15 constituencies most like Orkney and Shetland

We match areas anywhere in Great Britain on age, deprivation, pay and how many people live in each square kilometre. We do not match on place or spending. A smaller score means more alike. Bars show all benefits per resident, 2024-25.

Orkney and ShetlandThis area£3,600£3,615£3,415
Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey0.48£4,458£4,477£4,228Compare
Stirling and Strathallan1.01£4,217£4,235£4,000Compare
Gordon and Buchan1.02£3,756£3,772£3,562Compare
Perth and Kinross-shire1.07£4,585£4,604£4,349Compare
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine1.13£3,641£3,656£3,453Compare
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire1.14£4,442£4,461£4,214Compare
Hexham1.29£4,685£4,705£4,444Compare
Rutland and Stamford1.29£4,188£4,206£3,973Compare
Penrith and Solway1.30£4,701£4,721£4,460Compare
South Cotswolds1.33£4,100£4,117£3,889Compare
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross1.38£5,003£5,025£4,746Compare
Derbyshire Dales1.48£4,474£4,493£4,244Compare
Newark1.51£4,464£4,483£4,234Compare
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich1.54£4,212£4,230£3,996Compare
Richmond and Northallerton1.54£4,568£4,587£4,333Compare

Show the numbers

Areas most like Orkney and Shetland
Area	Score	All benefits, per resident
Orkney and Shetland		£3,600£3,615£3,415
Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey	0.48	£4,458£4,477£4,228
Stirling and Strathallan	1.01	£4,217£4,235£4,000
Gordon and Buchan	1.02	£3,756£3,772£3,562
Perth and Kinross-shire	1.07	£4,585£4,604£4,349
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine	1.13	£3,641£3,656£3,453
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire	1.14	£4,442£4,461£4,214
Hexham	1.29	£4,685£4,705£4,444
Rutland and Stamford	1.29	£4,188£4,206£3,973
Penrith and Solway	1.30	£4,701£4,721£4,460
South Cotswolds	1.33	£4,100£4,117£3,889
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross	1.38	£5,003£5,025£4,746
Derbyshire Dales	1.48	£4,474£4,493£4,244
Newark	1.51	£4,464£4,483£4,234
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich	1.54	£4,212£4,230£3,996
Richmond and Northallerton	1.54	£4,568£4,587£4,333

Which other areas overlap it?

Overlapping areas

The local authorities that overlap Orkney and Shetland

Each share is the part of Orkney and Shetland's residents who live in that area.

Shetland Islandslocal authority51%
Orkney Islandslocal authority49%

Every figure, in one table

Every figure

Every figure, with its rank

Every figure we publish for Orkney and Shetland, in total and per person. Each has its rank among the constituencies of Great Britain and the figure for Great Britain. Money is in 2026-27 prices2026-27 prices, using CPI inflationcash terms, not adjusted for inflation.

Spending by benefit^1-13
Measure	Value	Rank	Great Britain	Figure type
All benefitstotal, 2024-25	£161.3m£162.0m£153.0m	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£299.0bn£300.3bn£283.6bn	Shared outEstimated
All benefitsper resident, 2024-25	£3,600£3,615£3,415	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£4,441£4,460£4,212	Shared outEstimated
Pensioner benefitstotal, 2024-25	£96.6m£97.0m£91.6m	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£154.0bn£154.6bn£146.1bn	Shared outEstimated
Pensioner benefitsper resident, 2024-25	£2,156£2,165£2,045	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£2,287£2,297£2,170	Shared outEstimated
Pensioner benefitsper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£9,413£9,453£8,928	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£12,728£12,782£12,073	Shared outEstimated
Working-age benefitstotal, 2024-25	£35.5m£35.6m£33.7m	631st of 632	£88.8bn£89.1bn£84.2bn	Shared outEstimated
Working-age benefitsper resident, 2024-25	£792£796£751	554th of 632	£1,318£1,324£1,250	Shared outEstimated
Working-age benefitsper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£1,342£1,348£1,273	540th of 632	£2,093£2,102£1,985	Shared outEstimated
State Pensiontotal, 2024-25	£86.9m£87.3m£82.4m	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£138.4bn£138.9bn£131.2bn	Published
State Pensionper resident, 2024-25	£1,940£1,948£1,840	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£2,055£2,064£1,949	Published
State Pensionper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£8,470£8,506£8,034	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£11,435£11,484£10,847	Published
Pension Credittotal, 2024-25	£3.0m£3.0m£2.8m	632nd of 632	£6.3bn£6.4bn£6.0bn	Published
Pension Creditper resident, 2024-25	£66£67£63	473rd of 632	£94£94£89	Published
Pension Creditper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£290£291£275	509th of 632	£523£525£496	Published
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymenttotal, 2024-25	£6.5m£6.6m£6.2m	623rd of 632	£9.0bn£9.0bn£8.5bn	Shared outEstimated
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymentper resident, 2024-25	£146£147£138	257th of 632	£133£134£126	Shared outEstimated
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymentper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£637£640£604	486th of 632	£741£744£703	Shared outEstimated
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Paymenttotal, 2024-25	£0.16m£0.16m£0.15m	632nd of 632	£346.1m£347.6m£328.3m	Shared outEstimated
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Paymentper resident, 2024-25	£3.64£3.65£3.45	511th of 632	£5.14£5.17£4.88	Shared outEstimated
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Paymentper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£16£16£15	580th of 632	£29£29£27	Shared outEstimated
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Paymenttotal, 2024-25	£17.9m£18.0m£17.0m	629th of 632	£30.4bn£30.5bn£28.9bn	Shared outEstimated
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Paymentper resident, 2024-25	£400£402£379	355th of 632	£452£454£429	Shared outEstimated
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Paymenttotal, 2024-25	£5.7m£5.7m£5.4m	630th of 632	£9.1bn£9.2bn£8.6bn	Shared outEstimated
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Paymentper resident, 2024-25	£128£128£121	317th of 632	£135£136£128	Shared outEstimated
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymenttotal, 2024-25	£1.9m£1.9m£1.8m	630th of 632	£4.9bn£4.9bn£4.6bn	Shared outEstimated
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymentper resident, 2024-25	£42£42£40	548th of 632	£72£73£69	Shared outEstimated
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymentper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£72£72£68	525th of 632	£115£115£109	Shared outEstimated
Universal Credittotal, 2024-25	£25.0m£25.1m£23.7m	631st of 632	£70.3bn£70.6bn£66.7bn	Published
Universal Creditper resident, 2024-25	£558£560£529	587th of 632	£1,044£1,048£990	Published
Universal Creditper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£945£949£897	581st of 632	£1,657£1,664£1,572	Published
Housing Benefittotal, 2024-25	£5.3m£5.3m£5.0m	631st of 632	£16.3bn£16.4bn£15.5bn	Published
Housing Benefitper resident, 2024-25	£119£119£113	580th of 632	£242£243£230	Published
Employment and Support Allowancetotal, 2024-25	£8.5m£8.5m£8.0m	621st of 632	£13.0bn£13.0bn£12.3bn	Published
Employment and Support Allowanceper resident, 2024-25	£189£189£179	295th of 632	£193£193£183	Published
Employment and Support Allowanceper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£320£321£303	261st of 632	£306£307£290	Published
Jobseeker's Allowancetotal, 2024-25	£0.05m	632nd of 632	£329.6m£331.0m£312.7m	Published
Jobseeker's Allowanceper resident, 2024-25	£1.15£1.15£1.09	632nd of 632	£4.89£4.91£4.64	Published
Jobseeker's Allowanceper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£1.94£1.95£1.84	632nd of 632	£7.77£7.80£7.37	Published
Income Supporttotal, 2024-25	£0.10m	627th of 632	£294.9m£296.2m£279.7m	Published
Income Supportper resident, 2024-25	£2.29£2.30£2.17	502nd of 632	£4.38£4.39£4.15	Published
Income Supportper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£3.87£3.89£3.67	492nd of 632	£6.96£6.99£6.60	Published
Other benefitstotal, 2024-25	£0.24m£0.24m£0.23m	630th of 632	£414.2m£415.9m£392.9m	Shared outEstimated
Other benefitsper resident, 2024-25	£5.43£5.45£5.15	436th of 632	£6.15£6.17£5.83	Shared outEstimated
Benefits and income taxfor each £1 of income tax, 2023-24	£0.92	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£0.95	Shared outEstimatedSurvey estimate

People receiving benefits^{3-4, 6-7, 9-11}
Measure	Value	Rank	Great Britain	Figure type
State Pensiontotal, March 2026	10,165	612th of 632	12,207,279	Published
State Pensionper 1,000 residents, March 2026	226.9	143rd of 632	181.3	Published
State Pensionper 1,000 people aged 66 and over, March 2026	990.7	562nd of 632	1,009.0	Published
Pension Credittotal, March 2026	715	632nd of 632	1,380,853	Published
Pension Creditper 1,000 residents, March 2026	16.0	460th of 632	20.5	Published
Pension Creditper 1,000 people aged 66 and over, March 2026	69.7	533rd of 632	114.1	Published
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymenttotal, March 2026	1,545	613th of 632	1,881,995	Shared out
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymentper 1,000 residents, March 2026	34.5	155th of 632	28.0	Shared out
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymentper 1,000 people aged 66 and over, March 2026	150.6	361st of 632	155.6	Shared out
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Paymenttotal, July 2026	2,755	630th of 632	4,594,229	Shared out
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Paymentper 1,000 residents, July 2026	61.5	347th of 632	68.2	Shared out
Universal Credittotal, May 2026	3,282	631st of 632	8,145,172	Published
Universal Creditper 1,000 residents, May 2026	73.3	539th of 632	121.0	Published
Universal Creditper 1,000 people aged 16 to 64, May 2026	124.1	531st of 632	192.1	Published
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymenttotal, March 2026	467	630th of 632	1,090,721	Shared outEstimated
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymentper 1,000 residents, March 2026	10.4	511th of 632	16.2	Shared outEstimated
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymentper 1,000 people aged 16 to 64, March 2026	17.7	488th of 632	25.7	Shared outEstimated

Income tax^1-13
Measure	Value	Rank	Great Britain	Figure type
Income taxtotal, 2023-24	£152.3m£150.6m£139.0m	629th of 632	£293.3bn£290.1bn£267.7bn	Survey estimate
Income taxper resident, 2023-24	£3,392£3,355£3,096	323rd of 632	£4,409£4,361£4,024	Survey estimate
Benefits and income taxfor each £1 of income tax, 2023-24	£0.92	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£0.95	Shared outEstimatedSurvey estimate

Compared with the expected level^{1-11, 14-17}
Measure	Value	Rank	Great Britain	Figure type
All benefits against expectedper resident, 2024-25	−£1,030−£1,035−£977	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	£4.74£4.76£4.50	Shared outEstimated
Pensioner benefits against expectedper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	−£3,176−£3,189−£3,012	Not ranked: covers only some benefits	−£11−£11−£10	Shared outEstimated
Working-age benefits against expectedper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	−£264−£265−£250	554th of 626	£8.64£8.68£8.20	Shared outEstimated

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Where do the numbers come from?

Notes

Limits and sources

Limits of the figures for Orkney and Shetland

England, Wales and Scotland each measure deprivation in their own way, so we compare areas only with others in the same nation. Areas are split into 10 equal groups, from 1, the most deprived tenth, to 10, the least deprived.

Income tax only. There are no area figures for National Insurance, VAT, council tax or other taxes.

Scottish figures include the Social Security Scotland benefits that replace DWP benefits: Adult Disability Payment, Child Disability Payment, Pension Age Disability Payment, Carer Support Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.

DWP's area tables leave out Scotland once a benefit moves to the Scottish Government. While cases moved to Social Security Scotland, DWP kept paying some of them. We estimate those payments from Stat-Xplore counts of people and their payments, scale them to DWP's national totals, and share them between councils as before the move. We work out Carer Support Payment and Pension Age Disability Payment from Scotland's totals and each council's share.

Scottish counts for these benefits are Social Security Scotland's latest figures, which can be up to four months apart from the DWP month. Earlier months have no Scottish figure.

For benefits that Social Security Scotland pays, each Scottish constituency gets a share of its council's figure, by population at the 2022 census.

State Pension spending in Orkney and Shetland is too low in 2023-24 and 2024-25. From August 2023 to August 2024, DWP recorded some people in Shetland with no known area.

There is no breakdown by condition for Scottish areas. Adult Disability Payment has replaced Personal Independence Payment in Scotland, and Social Security Scotland publishes conditions for Scotland as a whole only.

Sources

1Department for Work and Pensions. Benefit expenditure by local authority, 2024-25. Published 15 December 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
2Department for Work and Pensions. Benefit expenditure by parliamentary constituency, 2024-25. Published 15 December 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
3Department for Work and Pensions. Stat-Xplore benefit caseloads and awards. Published 6 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
4Social Security Scotland. Adult Disability Payment statistics to 31 July 2026. Published 14 September 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
5Social Security Scotland. Child Disability Payment statistics to 30 June 2026. Published 17 August 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
6Social Security Scotland. Pension Age Disability Payment statistics to 31 July 2026. Published 14 September 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
7Social Security Scotland. Carer Support Payment statistics to 30 June 2026. Published 10 August 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
8Social Security Scotland. Winter heating benefits statistics for winter 2025/26. Published 18 May 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
9Office for National Statistics. Population estimates by local authority (Nomis NM_2002_1). Published 5 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
10Office for National Statistics. Population estimates by 2024 parliamentary constituency (Nomis NM_2014_1). Published 5 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
11National Records of Scotland. Population estimates for other geographies, mid-2011 to mid-2024. Published 31 August 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
12HM Revenue and Customs. Income and tax by borough and district or unitary authority (Table 3.14). Published 29 April 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
13HM Revenue and Customs. Income and tax by parliamentary constituency (Table 3.15). Published 29 April 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
14Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. English indices of deprivation 2025. Published 19 November 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
15Welsh Government. Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025. Published 5 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
16Scottish Government. Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020. Published 28 January 2020. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
17Office for National Statistics. Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, resident analysis, 2024 (Nomis NM_30_1). Published 6 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
18House of Commons Library. Election results: UK general election, 4 July 2024. Published 6 October 2026. Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.

Northern Ireland is not included. How we worked out the figures · Download all the data

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