Deep dive
The State Pension from 2010/11 to 2024/25: what it cost, who it paid, what it paid
DWP’s own figures for the bill, the people and the weekly rate, beside ONS’s count of people aged 65 and over. Then pick one measure and see what each pension would pay had it risen with that alone.
21 Oct 2026 · figures from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Office for National Statistics, each named where it is printed and listed in How we worked this out
- Ink is the publisher's own figure, as printed.
- Pencil is our working, always shown beside it.
Main points
- DWP spent £136,584m on the State Pension in Great Britain in 2024/25, the last year it has published as spent, and £69,835m in 2010/11. The total covers the basic and the new State Pension and smaller parts such as Graduated Retirement Benefit (DWP benefit expenditure and caseload tables, Spring Forecast 2026).
- At 2026/27 prices, in DWP’s own real-terms column, the same total was £143,836m in 2024/25 and £106,794m in 2010/11.
- DWP paid a State Pension to 12,987,000 people on average over 2024/25 and 12,566,000 over 2010/11. In November 2025, Stat-Xplore counted 10,410,517 people receiving one in England, 1,075,304 in Scotland and 661,812 in Wales.
- From April 2024 the full basic State Pension was £169.50 a week and the full new State Pension £221.20, after an increase of 8.5% that April (DWP Abstract of benefit rate statistics 2024).
- ONS estimates that 13,104,219 people in Great Britain were aged 65 and over at mid-2025, against 10,003,092 at mid-2010.
- DWP estimates that 62% of the people entitled to Pension Credit in Great Britain claimed it in FYE 2024 (range 59% to 64%), leaving 820,000 entitled people not claiming.
I · The bill
This is what DWP spent on the State Pension each year in Great Britain, including pensions paid to people living abroad. DWP prints it in cash and at 2026/27 prices, adjusted with the Treasury's GDP deflator. Its tables run on into forecast years; this page reads only the years DWP has published as spent.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: outturn and forecast tables, Spring Forecast 2026 (State Pension sheet) · as published
Department for Work and Pensions, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: outturn and forecast tables, Spring Forecast 2026 (State Pension sheet) · Reference: Financial years 1948/49 and 2010/11 to 2024/25, as spent. DWP’s forecast columns are not read: no figure on this page is a forecast. · Released: 14 April 2026
Spending was £69,835m in 2010/11 and £136,584m in 2024/25 in cash, a change of +95.6%. At 2026/27 prices it was £106,794m and £143,836m, a change of +34.7%. Both changes are our arithmetic on DWP's figures, set out under How we worked this out. The earliest year on DWP's sheet, 1948/49, shows £176.4 million.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: outturn and forecast tables, Spring Forecast 2026 (State Pension sheet) · as published
Department for Work and Pensions, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: outturn and forecast tables, Spring Forecast 2026 (State Pension sheet) · Reference: Financial years 1948/49 and 2010/11 to 2024/25, as spent. DWP’s forecast columns are not read: no figure on this page is a forecast. · Released: 14 April 2026
The new State Pension is paid to people who reached State Pension age from 6 April 2016. DWP spent £1,347m on it in 2016/17, its first year, and £46,353m in 2024/25, when the basic State Pension cost £66,660m. Smaller parts DWP still pays, such as Graduated Retirement Benefit, are in the total but not drawn.
II · The people
DWP counts the people it pays two ways: an average over each financial year beside its spending, and a count on one day each quarter on Stat-Xplore, for every nation, region and council.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: outturn and forecast tables, Spring Forecast 2026 (State Pension sheet) · as published
Department for Work and Pensions, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: outturn and forecast tables, Spring Forecast 2026 (State Pension sheet) · Reference: Financial years 1948/49 and 2010/11 to 2024/25, as spent. DWP’s forecast columns are not read: no figure on this page is a forecast. · Released: 14 April 2026
The average was 12,566,000 in 2010/11 and 12,987,000 in 2024/25, a change of +3.4% (our arithmetic). The basic State Pension's count peaked at 12,890,000 in 2015/16 and has fallen every year since, while the new State Pension's has risen every year since it began. DWP rounds these averages to the nearest 1,000.
By nation and region, every November
| Area | November 2018 | November 2025 | Change (ours) | Every November |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 9,910,916 | 10,410,517 | +5.0% | |
| Wales | 640,639 | 661,812 | +3.3% | |
| Scotland | 1,008,065 | 1,075,304 | +6.7% | |
| North East (England) | 518,235 | 550,780 | +6.3% | |
| North West (England) | 1,336,636 | 1,388,038 | +3.8% | |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 1,000,921 | 1,045,530 | +4.5% | |
| East Midlands (England) | 911,185 | 956,520 | +5.0% | |
| West Midlands (England) | 1,076,215 | 1,104,756 | +2.7% | |
| East (England) | 1,190,993 | 1,249,465 | +4.9% | |
| London | 956,261 | 1,026,919 | +7.4% | |
| South East (England) | 1,708,049 | 1,807,105 | +5.8% | |
| South West (England) | 1,212,424 | 1,281,405 | +5.7% |
Each line has its own scale. Department for Work and Pensions, Stat-Xplore, State Pension · Reference: every November, November 2018 to November 2025 · Released: 15 February 2022 and 17 February 2026
By council
Hover or tap an area for its figure, or use the arrow keys.
- 519 to 20,227
- 20,313 to 25,699
- 25,769 to 31,945
- 31,962 to 43,293
- 43,715 to 158,708
Boundaries: ONS Local Authority Districts May 2025 UK BGC (V2).
Each shade holds about as many councils. The count is DWP's for the council, not a sum of anything smaller. Barnsley and Sheffield are not drawn: DWP prints them on their boundaries before the 2025 change, which this map does not hold; their figures are in the table below. Department for Work and Pensions, Stat-Xplore, State Pension · Reference: November 2025 · Released: 17 February 2026
Every council's count, November 2018 and November 2025 (350 councils)
| Council | November 2018 | November 2025 | Change (ours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 34,914 | 37,104 | +6.3% |
| Aberdeenshire | 49,382 | 55,640 | +12.7% |
| Adur | 14,849 | 14,979 | +0.9% |
| Amber Valley | 27,476 | 28,725 | +4.5% |
| Angus | 26,674 | 28,096 | +5.3% |
| Argyll and Bute | 21,585 | 22,959 | +6.4% |
| Arun | 44,883 | 46,522 | +3.7% |
| Ashfield | 24,273 | 24,729 | +1.9% |
| Ashford | 24,301 | 25,945 | +6.8% |
| Babergh | 23,217 | 24,709 | +6.4% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 18,235 | 18,162 | −0.4% |
| Barnet | 50,494 | 54,520 | +8.0% |
| Barnsley (boundaries before 2025) | 46,223 | 48,591 | +5.1% |
| Basildon | 31,637 | 31,980 | +1.1% |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 29,999 | 32,468 | +8.2% |
| Bassetlaw | 25,042 | 26,522 | +5.9% |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 35,838 | 37,523 | +4.7% |
| Bedford | 29,198 | 31,343 | +7.3% |
| Bexley | 39,744 | 39,916 | +0.4% |
| Birmingham | 144,027 | 143,626 | −0.3% |
| Blaby | 20,401 | 21,229 | +4.1% |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 21,353 | 21,795 | +2.1% |
| Blackpool | 28,813 | 28,705 | −0.4% |
| Blaenau Gwent | 13,603 | 13,570 | −0.2% |
| Bolsover | 15,628 | 16,480 | +5.5% |
| Bolton | 48,936 | 49,236 | +0.6% |
| Boston | 13,990 | 14,361 | +2.7% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 83,890 | 84,435 | +0.6% |
| Bracknell Forest | 17,229 | 19,834 | +15.1% |
| Bradford | 78,781 | 82,503 | +4.7% |
| Braintree | 29,944 | 32,064 | +7.1% |
| Breckland | 33,371 | 35,406 | +6.1% |
| Brent | 34,647 | 39,045 | +12.7% |
| Brentwood | 15,180 | 15,275 | +0.6% |
| Bridgend | 29,193 | 30,021 | +2.8% |
| Brighton and Hove | 37,311 | 39,043 | +4.6% |
| Bristol, City of | 59,041 | 59,932 | +1.5% |
| Broadland | 32,883 | 34,236 | +4.1% |
| Bromley | 56,767 | 57,531 | +1.3% |
| Bromsgrove | 21,706 | 22,368 | +3.0% |
| Broxbourne | 17,189 | 17,372 | +1.1% |
| Broxtowe | 23,698 | 23,908 | +0.9% |
| Buckinghamshire | 97,697 | 104,418 | +6.9% |
| Burnley | 16,143 | 16,628 | +3.0% |
| Bury | 34,504 | 34,815 | +0.9% |
| Caerphilly | 34,877 | 35,670 | +2.3% |
| Calderdale | 37,783 | 40,052 | +6.0% |
| Cambridge | 15,004 | 15,585 | +3.9% |
| Camden | 22,506 | 24,285 | +7.9% |
| Cannock Chase | 18,799 | 19,748 | +5.0% |
| Canterbury | 32,477 | 34,279 | +5.5% |
| Cardiff | 50,605 | 53,386 | +5.5% |
| Carmarthenshire | 43,410 | 45,555 | +4.9% |
| Castle Point | 22,443 | 22,314 | −0.6% |
| Central Bedfordshire | 49,949 | 55,428 | +11.0% |
| Ceredigion | 17,608 | 18,610 | +5.7% |
| Charnwood | 32,938 | 34,837 | +5.8% |
| Chelmsford | 33,917 | 35,030 | +3.3% |
| Cheltenham | 21,868 | 22,780 | +4.2% |
| Cherwell | 26,071 | 28,716 | +10.1% |
| Cheshire East | 84,811 | 90,217 | +6.4% |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 72,179 | 76,793 | +6.4% |
| Chesterfield | 21,589 | 22,388 | +3.7% |
| Chichester | 31,607 | 33,899 | +7.3% |
| Chorley | 22,728 | 24,161 | +6.3% |
| City of Edinburgh | 76,149 | 80,342 | +5.5% |
| City of London | 1,126 | 1,287 | +14.3% |
| Clackmannanshire | 10,083 | 10,589 | +5.0% |
| Colchester | 33,034 | 34,204 | +3.5% |
| Conwy | 30,199 | 30,844 | +2.1% |
| Cornwall | 136,697 | 145,042 | +6.1% |
| Cotswold | 22,110 | 24,048 | +8.8% |
| County Durham | 107,182 | 113,105 | +5.5% |
| Coventry | 49,176 | 48,651 | −1.1% |
| Crawley | 14,811 | 15,774 | +6.5% |
| Croydon | 49,792 | 53,089 | +6.6% |
| Cumberland | 61,098 | 64,668 | +5.8% |
| Dacorum | 25,795 | 27,201 | +5.5% |
| Darlington | 21,190 | 22,634 | +6.8% |
| Dartford | 15,503 | 15,805 | +1.9% |
| Denbighshire | 22,981 | 23,513 | +2.3% |
| Derby | 41,276 | 41,563 | +0.7% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 19,201 | 20,313 | +5.8% |
| Doncaster | 57,939 | 60,115 | +3.8% |
| Dorset | 106,686 | 113,814 | +6.7% |
| Dover | 26,315 | 28,046 | +6.6% |
| Dudley | 65,085 | 63,871 | −1.9% |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 37,384 | 39,129 | +4.7% |
| Dundee City | 25,785 | 25,889 | +0.4% |
| Ealing | 38,752 | 43,226 | +11.5% |
| East Ayrshire | 24,253 | 25,616 | +5.6% |
| East Cambridgeshire | 17,266 | 18,778 | +8.8% |
| East Devon | 42,742 | 45,157 | +5.7% |
| East Dunbartonshire | 23,951 | 25,561 | +6.7% |
| East Hampshire | 26,776 | 29,855 | +11.5% |
| East Hertfordshire | 25,962 | 28,497 | +9.8% |
| East Lindsey | 41,967 | 44,113 | +5.1% |
| East Lothian | 20,919 | 23,771 | +13.6% |
| East Renfrewshire | 18,586 | 19,852 | +6.8% |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 86,151 | 92,081 | +6.9% |
| East Staffordshire | 22,319 | 23,926 | +7.2% |
| East Suffolk | 65,467 | 68,980 | +5.4% |
| Eastbourne | 24,270 | 24,278 | 0.0% |
| Eastleigh | 24,911 | 27,152 | +9.0% |
| Elmbridge | 23,315 | 24,511 | +5.1% |
| Enfield | 41,991 | 44,691 | +6.4% |
| Epping Forest | 25,556 | 26,346 | +3.1% |
| Epsom and Ewell | 13,979 | 14,247 | +1.9% |
| Erewash | 23,128 | 23,259 | +0.6% |
| Exeter | 20,759 | 21,561 | +3.9% |
| Falkirk | 29,441 | 30,500 | +3.6% |
| Fareham | 26,837 | 28,248 | +5.3% |
| Fenland | 22,470 | 23,291 | +3.7% |
| Fife | 74,377 | 79,259 | +6.6% |
| Flintshire | 32,507 | 33,586 | +3.3% |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 26,333 | 27,363 | +3.9% |
| Forest of Dean | 20,897 | 22,041 | +5.5% |
| Fylde | 21,516 | 23,558 | +9.5% |
| Gateshead | 38,855 | 39,362 | +1.3% |
| Gedling | 24,793 | 25,234 | +1.8% |
| Glasgow City | 81,316 | 86,039 | +5.8% |
| Gloucester | 21,042 | 22,225 | +5.6% |
| Gosport | 16,952 | 17,818 | +5.1% |
| Gravesham | 18,151 | 17,899 | −1.4% |
| Great Yarmouth | 23,312 | 23,976 | +2.8% |
| Greenwich | 27,249 | 29,425 | +8.0% |
| Guildford | 23,812 | 25,012 | +5.0% |
| Gwynedd | 26,295 | 26,673 | +1.4% |
| Hackney | 18,619 | 21,686 | +16.5% |
| Halton | 22,816 | 24,454 | +7.2% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 17,120 | 18,754 | +9.5% |
| Harborough | 19,770 | 22,306 | +12.8% |
| Haringey | 24,861 | 28,374 | +14.1% |
| Harlow | 13,200 | 13,592 | +3.0% |
| Harrow | 34,984 | 38,337 | +9.6% |
| Hart | 18,402 | 20,227 | +9.9% |
| Hartlepool | 17,624 | 18,919 | +7.3% |
| Hastings | 17,474 | 18,123 | +3.7% |
| Havant | 29,184 | 30,281 | +3.8% |
| Havering | 45,790 | 44,991 | −1.7% |
| Herefordshire, County of | 45,981 | 49,227 | +7.1% |
| Hertsmere | 18,443 | 19,212 | +4.2% |
| High Peak | 19,022 | 20,628 | +8.4% |
| Highland | 50,501 | 55,126 | +9.2% |
| Hillingdon | 37,917 | 39,394 | +3.9% |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 24,549 | 25,795 | +5.1% |
| Horsham | 31,281 | 34,279 | +9.6% |
| Hounslow | 29,788 | 32,516 | +9.2% |
| Huntingdonshire | 34,522 | 37,459 | +8.5% |
| Hyndburn | 14,551 | 14,668 | +0.8% |
| Inverclyde | 15,925 | 16,298 | +2.3% |
| Ipswich | 22,091 | 22,718 | +2.8% |
| Isle of Anglesey | 17,215 | 17,897 | +4.0% |
| Isle of Wight | 38,809 | 40,574 | +4.5% |
| Isles of Scilly | 533 | 519 | −2.6% |
| Islington | 18,796 | 20,893 | +11.2% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 17,132 | 18,056 | +5.4% |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 38,270 | 39,248 | +2.6% |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | 39,371 | 40,598 | +3.1% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 22,159 | 23,485 | +6.0% |
| Kirklees | 73,933 | 76,674 | +3.7% |
| Knowsley | 25,183 | 27,475 | +9.1% |
| Lambeth | 25,001 | 28,678 | +14.7% |
| Lancaster | 28,478 | 29,375 | +3.1% |
| Leeds | 123,168 | 125,835 | +2.2% |
| Leicester | 38,544 | 40,939 | +6.2% |
| Lewes | 25,378 | 26,261 | +3.5% |
| Lewisham | 26,874 | 29,653 | +10.3% |
| Lichfield | 24,418 | 25,591 | +4.8% |
| Lincoln | 14,646 | 14,798 | +1.0% |
| Liverpool | 71,620 | 75,590 | +5.5% |
| Luton | 25,219 | 25,192 | −0.1% |
| Maidstone | 31,661 | 33,442 | +5.6% |
| Maldon | 15,674 | 17,362 | +10.8% |
| Malvern Hills | 21,220 | 22,673 | +6.8% |
| Manchester | 49,277 | 51,332 | +4.2% |
| Mansfield | 20,682 | 21,540 | +4.1% |
| Medway | 44,435 | 46,312 | +4.2% |
| Melton | 11,549 | 12,613 | +9.2% |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 11,076 | 11,173 | +0.9% |
| Merton | 24,773 | 26,639 | +7.5% |
| Mid Devon | 18,949 | 20,359 | +7.4% |
| Mid Suffolk | 24,432 | 27,168 | +11.2% |
| Mid Sussex | 29,781 | 31,941 | +7.3% |
| Middlesbrough | 23,021 | 24,415 | +6.1% |
| Midlothian | 16,979 | 18,386 | +8.3% |
| Milton Keynes | 36,057 | 41,033 | +13.8% |
| Mole Valley | 19,619 | 20,568 | +4.8% |
| Monmouthshire | 22,773 | 24,215 | +6.3% |
| Moray | 19,554 | 21,181 | +8.3% |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 6,483 | 6,653 | +2.6% |
| Neath Port Talbot | 29,464 | 29,902 | +1.5% |
| New Forest | 49,577 | 51,523 | +3.9% |
| Newark and Sherwood | 26,325 | 28,206 | +7.1% |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 42,467 | 44,812 | +5.5% |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 26,165 | 26,665 | +1.9% |
| Newham | 21,885 | 25,332 | +15.8% |
| Newport | 26,473 | 26,787 | +1.2% |
| North Ayrshire | 29,807 | 31,278 | +4.9% |
| North Devon | 24,046 | 25,769 | +7.2% |
| North East Derbyshire | 24,384 | 25,399 | +4.2% |
| North East Lincolnshire | 31,924 | 32,994 | +3.4% |
| North Hertfordshire | 24,680 | 25,906 | +5.0% |
| North Kesteven | 26,650 | 28,026 | +5.2% |
| North Lanarkshire | 56,962 | 60,122 | +5.5% |
| North Lincolnshire | 35,376 | 37,253 | +5.3% |
| North Norfolk | 33,100 | 34,300 | +3.6% |
| North Northamptonshire | 62,268 | 65,557 | +5.3% |
| North Somerset | 50,216 | 51,938 | +3.4% |
| North Tyneside | 41,217 | 43,715 | +6.1% |
| North Warwickshire | 13,756 | 14,320 | +4.1% |
| North West Leicestershire | 20,207 | 21,701 | +7.4% |
| North Yorkshire | 145,346 | 158,708 | +9.2% |
| Northumberland | 76,969 | 84,948 | +10.4% |
| Norwich | 20,876 | 21,097 | +1.1% |
| Nottingham | 37,016 | 37,103 | +0.2% |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 24,597 | 25,041 | +1.8% |
| Oadby and Wigston | 11,981 | 11,808 | −1.4% |
| Oldham | 37,462 | 37,636 | +0.5% |
| Orkney Islands | 4,899 | 5,353 | +9.3% |
| Oxford | 17,282 | 18,087 | +4.7% |
| Pembrokeshire | 30,634 | 32,073 | +4.7% |
| Pendle | 16,713 | 17,267 | +3.3% |
| Perth and Kinross | 34,466 | 36,874 | +7.0% |
| Peterborough | 28,737 | 30,188 | +5.0% |
| Plymouth | 47,325 | 49,002 | +3.5% |
| Portsmouth | 29,897 | 30,369 | +1.6% |
| Powys | 35,030 | 36,935 | +5.4% |
| Preston | 20,892 | 21,896 | +4.8% |
| Reading | 19,459 | 20,052 | +3.0% |
| Redbridge | 34,904 | 36,683 | +5.1% |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 30,377 | 31,967 | +5.2% |
| Redditch | 15,558 | 16,465 | +5.8% |
| Reigate and Banstead | 25,578 | 27,164 | +6.2% |
| Renfrewshire | 32,762 | 34,357 | +4.9% |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 45,916 | 46,536 | +1.4% |
| Ribble Valley | 14,135 | 15,779 | +11.6% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 28,808 | 31,360 | +8.9% |
| Rochdale | 35,680 | 36,875 | +3.3% |
| Rochford | 19,659 | 20,200 | +2.8% |
| Rossendale | 12,915 | 13,445 | +4.1% |
| Rother | 29,339 | 29,785 | +1.5% |
| Rotherham | 50,829 | 51,962 | +2.2% |
| Rugby | 19,879 | 20,511 | +3.2% |
| Runnymede | 14,451 | 14,806 | +2.5% |
| Rushcliffe | 24,251 | 26,161 | +7.9% |
| Rushmoor | 12,895 | 13,826 | +7.2% |
| Rutland | 9,634 | 10,396 | +7.9% |
| Salford | 35,651 | 35,292 | −1.0% |
| Sandwell | 48,017 | 46,493 | −3.2% |
| Scottish Borders | 27,973 | 30,325 | +8.4% |
| Sefton | 62,399 | 64,614 | +3.5% |
| Sevenoaks | 24,875 | 25,699 | +3.3% |
| Sheffield (boundaries before 2025) | 92,289 | 92,488 | +0.2% |
| Shetland Islands | 4,529 | 4,826 | +6.6% |
| Shropshire | 77,143 | 83,076 | +7.7% |
| Slough | 13,652 | 14,780 | +8.3% |
| Solihull | 44,836 | 44,844 | 0.0% |
| Somerset | 134,955 | 143,042 | +6.0% |
| South Ayrshire | 27,731 | 29,265 | +5.5% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 29,846 | 32,518 | +9.0% |
| South Derbyshire | 18,623 | 21,019 | +12.9% |
| South Gloucestershire | 52,219 | 54,772 | +4.9% |
| South Hams | 23,444 | 25,429 | +8.5% |
| South Holland | 22,014 | 22,874 | +3.9% |
| South Kesteven | 31,448 | 33,686 | +7.1% |
| South Lanarkshire | 61,349 | 66,429 | +8.3% |
| South Norfolk | 32,642 | 35,092 | +7.5% |
| South Oxfordshire | 28,371 | 31,264 | +10.2% |
| South Ribble | 23,252 | 24,659 | +6.1% |
| South Staffordshire | 26,686 | 28,096 | +5.3% |
| South Tyneside | 29,791 | 31,195 | +4.7% |
| Southampton | 32,755 | 33,591 | +2.6% |
| Southend-on-Sea | 33,968 | 34,207 | +0.7% |
| Southwark | 23,404 | 26,910 | +15.0% |
| Spelthorne | 17,976 | 18,028 | +0.3% |
| St Albans | 24,423 | 25,344 | +3.8% |
| St. Helens | 36,802 | 36,930 | +0.3% |
| Stafford | 29,875 | 31,350 | +4.9% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 24,430 | 25,247 | +3.3% |
| Stevenage | 12,991 | 13,585 | +4.6% |
| Stirling | 17,694 | 18,839 | +6.5% |
| Stockport | 57,631 | 58,515 | +1.5% |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 35,113 | 38,328 | +9.2% |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 43,476 | 44,092 | +1.4% |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 31,879 | 35,461 | +11.2% |
| Stroud | 26,682 | 28,804 | +8.0% |
| Sunderland | 54,420 | 57,387 | +5.5% |
| Surrey Heath | 16,737 | 17,688 | +5.7% |
| Sutton | 29,814 | 30,424 | +2.0% |
| Swale | 27,836 | 29,347 | +5.4% |
| Swansea | 47,740 | 48,648 | +1.9% |
| Swindon | 34,413 | 37,424 | +8.7% |
| Tameside | 39,808 | 39,945 | +0.3% |
| Tamworth | 14,341 | 15,288 | +6.6% |
| Tandridge | 17,469 | 18,334 | +5.0% |
| Teignbridge | 34,776 | 37,024 | +6.5% |
| Telford and Wrekin | 30,812 | 33,480 | +8.7% |
| Tendring | 42,780 | 44,238 | +3.4% |
| Test Valley | 25,985 | 28,266 | +8.8% |
| Tewkesbury | 20,001 | 21,770 | +8.8% |
| Thanet | 32,360 | 32,892 | +1.6% |
| Three Rivers | 16,284 | 16,910 | +3.8% |
| Thurrock | 23,418 | 23,480 | +0.3% |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 24,199 | 25,539 | +5.5% |
| Torbay | 35,222 | 35,901 | +1.9% |
| Torfaen | 18,797 | 19,300 | +2.7% |
| Torridge | 18,450 | 20,066 | +8.8% |
| Tower Hamlets | 15,730 | 17,689 | +12.5% |
| Trafford | 40,197 | 40,716 | +1.3% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 21,261 | 22,580 | +6.2% |
| Uttlesford | 17,068 | 19,527 | +14.4% |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 27,797 | 29,678 | +6.8% |
| Vale of White Horse | 25,560 | 28,313 | +10.8% |
| Wakefield | 64,050 | 66,986 | +4.6% |
| Walsall | 49,164 | 47,622 | −3.1% |
| Waltham Forest | 26,719 | 28,988 | +8.5% |
| Wandsworth | 28,566 | 30,655 | +7.3% |
| Warrington | 38,438 | 40,700 | +5.9% |
| Warwick | 26,916 | 27,954 | +3.9% |
| Watford | 12,242 | 12,773 | +4.3% |
| Waverley | 26,415 | 27,984 | +5.9% |
| Wealden | 40,591 | 43,293 | +6.7% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 18,033 | 18,783 | +4.2% |
| West Berkshire | 29,460 | 32,115 | +9.0% |
| West Devon | 15,060 | 16,550 | +9.9% |
| West Dunbartonshire | 16,565 | 17,714 | +6.9% |
| West Lancashire | 24,869 | 26,192 | +5.3% |
| West Lindsey | 22,786 | 24,512 | +7.6% |
| West Lothian | 29,100 | 31,945 | +9.8% |
| West Northamptonshire | 69,436 | 73,796 | +6.3% |
| West Oxfordshire | 22,765 | 25,339 | +11.3% |
| West Suffolk | 35,626 | 37,366 | +4.9% |
| Westminster | 21,322 | 22,246 | +4.3% |
| Westmorland and Furness | 56,090 | 58,253 | +3.9% |
| Wigan | 61,635 | 63,146 | +2.5% |
| Wiltshire | 104,556 | 114,474 | +9.5% |
| Winchester | 25,090 | 27,086 | +8.0% |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 26,649 | 27,832 | +4.4% |
| Wirral | 68,183 | 70,746 | +3.8% |
| Woking | 16,359 | 16,975 | +3.8% |
| Wokingham | 28,689 | 30,879 | +7.6% |
| Wolverhampton | 42,480 | 41,678 | −1.9% |
| Worcester | 17,591 | 18,471 | +5.0% |
| Worthing | 24,063 | 24,501 | +1.8% |
| Wrexham | 26,440 | 27,238 | +3.0% |
| Wychavon | 30,879 | 33,727 | +9.2% |
| Wyre | 29,894 | 31,962 | +6.9% |
| Wyre Forest | 24,999 | 25,178 | +0.7% |
| York | 37,761 | 38,690 | +2.5% |
DWP also counts people receiving State Pension in each neighbourhood. That map is on datamap.uk.
People receiving State Pension in Cardiff, by neighbourhoodon datamap.ukWhat it pays, on average, by council
DWP also prints the mean weekly amount it paid in each council. It is DWP's own average, counting any protected payments on the new State Pension. In November 2025 it was highest in City of London, at £232.85, and lowest in Newham, at £192.52.
Hover or tap an area for its figure, or use the arrow keys.
- £192.52 to £218.84
- £218.88 to £221.25
- £221.30 to £223.01
- £223.02 to £225.52
- £225.54 to £232.85
Boundaries: ONS Local Authority Districts May 2025 UK BGC (V2).
Department for Work and Pensions, Stat-Xplore: State Pension (database SP_New), Weekly Amount of Benefit, mean, by country and local authority; /table query for November 2018, November 2025 · Reference: November 2018, November 2025 (quarterly snapshots) · Released: 17 February 2026
Each council's mean weekly amount, November 2018 and November 2025, and the change
| Council | November 2018 | November 2025 | Change (ours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | £149.54 | £219.46 | +46.8% |
| Bridgend | £152.30 | £222.37 | +46.0% |
| Caerphilly | £150.02 | £220.14 | +46.7% |
| Cardiff | £149.65 | £218.41 | +45.9% |
| Carmarthenshire | £147.18 | £216.66 | +47.2% |
| Ceredigion | £144.35 | £213.09 | +47.6% |
| Conwy | £149.22 | £218.92 | +46.7% |
| Denbighshire | £148.11 | £217.94 | +47.1% |
| Flintshire | £150.21 | £219.80 | +46.3% |
| Gwynedd | £146.72 | £215.99 | +47.2% |
| Isle of Anglesey | £148.63 | £218.26 | +46.8% |
| Merthyr Tydfil | £149.24 | £219.51 | +47.1% |
| Monmouthshire | £150.19 | £220.54 | +46.8% |
| Neath Port Talbot | £149.18 | £219.12 | +46.9% |
| Newport | £149.67 | £219.23 | +46.5% |
| Pembrokeshire | £145.92 | £215.30 | +47.5% |
| Powys | £146.32 | £215.57 | +47.3% |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | £150.90 | £220.49 | +46.1% |
| Swansea | £149.46 | £218.71 | +46.3% |
| Torfaen | £149.44 | £219.50 | +46.9% |
| Vale of Glamorgan | £151.71 | £221.43 | +46.0% |
| Wrexham | £150.78 | £220.41 | +46.2% |
Pension Credit: who is entitled and does not claim
Pension Credit tops up a low income in retirement. DWP estimates that 62% of the people entitled to it in Great Britain claimed it in FYE 2024, within a range of 59% to 64%. For its Guarantee Credit the figure was 69% (66% to 72%). That is 1,320,000 people claiming and 820,000 not (740,000 to 910,000). DWP does not publish this by area.
DWP's note: “Methodological refinements have been applied to the data from FYE 2017. Therefore comparisons to previous years should be treated with caution (Note 7). Estimates were not published for FYE 2021 due to data issues following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (Note 11).”
Department for Work and Pensions, Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up, financial year ending 2024 (Pension Credit tables, Table PC1) · Reference: Financial year ending 2024, Great Britain · Released: 30 October 2025
III · The rate and the lock
There are two pensions with two full rates: the basic State Pension, for people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, and the new State Pension, for people who reached it from that day. Since April 2011 each April's increase has been the highest of prices, earnings or 2.5%, a rule known as the triple lock. DWP's Abstract prints each rate, the increase it applied, and the price and earnings figures beside it.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Abstract of DWP benefit rate statistics 2024: data tables (Tables 5, 6 and 8) · as published
Department for Work and Pensions, Abstract of DWP benefit rate statistics 2024: data tables (Tables 5, 6 and 8) · Reference: Weekly rates and uprating measures at each April, 2010 to 2024 · Released: 22 January 2025
Each April: the increase DWP applied and the two figures beside it
| April | Applied | CPI, September | Earnings, three months to July | Basic rate | New rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2.5% | 1.1% | 1.8% | £97.65 | not published |
| 2011 | 4.6% | 3.1% | 1.3% | £102.15 | not published |
| 2012 | 5.2% | 5.2% | 2.8% | £107.45 | not published |
| 2013 | 2.5% | 2.2% | 1.6% | £110.15 | not published |
| 2014 | 2.7% | 2.7% | 1.2% | £113.10 | not published |
| 2015 | 2.5% | 1.2% | 0.6% | £115.95 | not published |
| 2016 | 2.9% | −0.1% | 2.9% | £119.30 | £155.65 |
| 2017 | 2.5% | 1.0% | 2.4% | £122.30 | £159.55 |
| 2018 | 3.0% | 3.0% | 2.3% | £125.95 | £164.35 |
| 2019 | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.6% | £129.20 | £168.60 |
| 2020 | 3.9% | 1.7% | 3.9% | £134.25 | £175.20 |
| 2021 | 2.5% | 0.5% | −1.0% | £137.60 | £179.60 |
| 2022 | 3.1% | 3.1% | 8.3% | £141.85 | £185.15 |
| 2023 | 10.1% | 10.1% | 5.5% | £156.20 | £203.85 |
| 2024 | 8.5% | 6.7% | 8.5% | £169.50 | £221.20 |
- April 2010
- “Basic State Pension was increased in line with RPI up until September 2010 (Note 21); despite a reduction in RPI in the year to September 2009, many benefit rates were increased in April 2010 (Note 24).”
- April 2011
- “From April 2011 Basic State Pension uprating is governed by a "triple guarantee" where the increase is the highest of earnings, prices or 2.5%. Prices were measured by RPI in 2011 although CPI was Government’s preferred measure of prices from 2011 (Note 22).”
- April 2016
- “The State Pension changed on 6 April 2016 for people who reach State Pension age, namely men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953 (Note 27).”
- April 2022
- “The temporary suspension of the Triple Lock meant the 2022 Earnings figure was not used in uprating State Pensions. The presented earnings figure of 8.3% has since been revised to 8.6% (Note 50).”
ONS revises earnings figures after DWP has used them. ONS's current figure differs from the one in DWP's Abstract for 10 of the 14 Aprils shown: April 2011, 1.3% then and 1.2% now; April 2013, 1.6% then and 1.5% now; April 2015, 0.6% then and 0.5% now; April 2016, 2.9% then and 2.8% now; April 2017, 2.4% then and 2.5% now; April 2018, 2.3% then and 2.2% now; April 2019, 2.6% then and 2.7% now; April 2020, 3.9% then and 4.0% now; April 2021, −1.0% then and −0.9% now; April 2022, 8.3% then and 8.4% now. This page uses DWP's figures throughout, including in our estimate. Current figures: ONS, series KAC3, released 18 August 2026.
IV · If the rate had followed one measure
Our estimate · not a published figure
Since April 2011 the basic State Pension has risen each April by the highest of three measures: prices, earnings or 2.5%. The new State Pension has done the same since it began in April 2016. Pick one measure. We raise each pension’s rate by that measure alone every April, starting from the rate DWP printed, and set the result beside the rate DWP printed.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Abstract of DWP benefit rate statistics 2024: data tables (Tables 5, 6 and 8) · calculated by datamap.uk
In 2024/25 the full Basic State Pension was £169.50 a week. Risen with prices (CPI) alone it would have been , less. At DWP’s caseload for that year that comes to a year.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Abstract of DWP benefit rate statistics 2024: data tables (Tables 5, 6 and 8) · calculated by datamap.uk
In 2024/25 the full New State Pension was £221.20 a week. Risen with prices (CPI) alone it would have been , less. At DWP’s caseload for that year that comes to a year.
For the two pensions together in 2024/25: less than DWP spent on those rates, had both risen with prices (CPI) alone.
Nobody has published these figures; they are ours. Run with the increase DWP applied each April, the same steps give every rate DWP printed from April 2011 to April 2024 to the penny, for both pensions. It leaves out everything else a different increase would have changed: Pension Credit, the protected payments and the extra State Pension people built up before 2016.
V · People of pension age
ONS estimates how many people are aged 65 and over each year at 30 June. This is a count of people, not of people paid a pension: State Pension age was 66 until May 2026 and is now rising to 67. Wales and Scotland have their own chart because they would read flat beside Great Britain.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (Nomis NM_2002_1), aged 16 to 64 and aged 65 and over · as published
Source: Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (Nomis NM_2002_1), aged 16 to 64 and aged 65 and over · as published
Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (Nomis NM_2002_1), aged 16 to 64 and aged 65 and over · Reference: Mid-1991 to mid-2025, Great Britain, nations and regions · Released: 29 July 2026 (Nomis update)
Great Britain: 10,003,092 at mid-2010 and 13,104,219 at mid-2025, a change of +31.0%; England: 8,563,615 at mid-2010 and 11,234,391 at mid-2025, a change of +31.2%; Wales: 557,255 at mid-2010 and 705,065 at mid-2025, a change of +26.5%; Scotland: 882,222 at mid-2010 and 1,164,763 at mid-2025, a change of +32.0%. The changes are our arithmetic. Mid-2010 sits inside DWP's 2010/11.
By region and nation, mid-2025
| South East (England) | 1,956,338 |
|---|---|
| North West (England) | 1,487,736 |
| South West (England) | 1,371,695 |
| East (England) | 1,342,065 |
| West Midlands (England) | 1,187,357 |
| Scotland | 1,164,763 |
| London | 1,152,518 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 1,118,729 |
| East Midlands (England) | 1,028,602 |
| Wales | 705,065 |
| North East (England) | 589,351 |
ONS's old-age dependency ratio, by council
ONS's ratio counts people of State Pension age per 1,000 people aged 16 to State Pension age. Its table by council was published once, for mid-2019, and ONS has published no newer one. Highest: North Norfolk 607, Rother 591, East Devon 549, Tendring 539, East Lindsey 531. Lowest: Tower Hamlets 85, Hackney 104, Newham 106, Lambeth 110, Southwark 113. 26 councils in ONS's table have since been merged into others and are not named here.
Office for National Statistics, Ageing population estimates (local authority ageing statistics), old-age dependency ratio · Reference: Mid-2019 · Released: 30 June 2020
A newer reading, on a fixed age of 65
For mid-2025 we set ONS's count of people aged 65 and over against its count aged 16 to 64, per 1,000 and rounded to a whole number. This is our arithmetic and not ONS's ratio, which uses State Pension age rather than 65.
| Area | Aged 65 and over | Aged 16 to 64 | Per 1,000 (ours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 13,104,219 | 42,499,587 | 308 |
| England | 11,234,391 | 37,060,671 | 303 |
| Wales | 705,065 | 1,936,178 | 364 |
| Scotland | 1,164,763 | 3,502,738 | 333 |
| North Norfolk | 36,957 | 53,719 | 688 |
| Rother | 31,939 | 50,330 | 635 |
| East Lindsey | 47,193 | 79,373 | 595 |
| New Forest | 55,122 | 95,053 | 580 |
| Dorset | 121,959 | 212,380 | 574 |
| Tower Hamlets | 20,317 | 260,614 | 78 |
| Newham | 29,303 | 276,589 | 106 |
| City of London | 1,441 | 13,629 | 106 |
| Hackney | 23,716 | 196,321 | 121 |
| Southwark | 29,969 | 236,399 | 127 |
The five highest and five lowest of 350 councils. Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (Nomis NM_2002_1), aged 16 to 64 and aged 65 and over · Reference: Mid-2025, councils · Released: 29 July 2026 (Nomis update)
What this doesn't tell you
- Why spending changed. The figures show what happened to the bill, the people and the rate side by side; none of them is a cause of another.
- Anything after 2024/25. DWP's tables also carry forecasts, which this page does not read.
- The April 2025 rates. DWP published a newer Abstract, with them, on 28 January 2026; this page reads the 2024 edition, which runs to April 2024.
- Quarters after November 2025. Stat-Xplore has published newer counts since; this page holds every November to 2025.
- Northern Ireland. Its State Pension is run by its Department for Communities and is not in these figures.
- Whether someone aged 65 or over receives a State Pension. ONS's count is of people, not of claims.
How we worked this out
Every figure on this page is one its publisher printed, except those marked as ours. Each percentage change is (later − earlier) ÷ earlier × 100, from two figures in the same publisher's series, rounded to one decimal place, with both figures printed beside it. The ratio in chapter V is numerator ÷ denominator × 1,000, from one ONS edition and one mid-year. The estimate in chapter IV shows its own working on every figure.
- Spending in cash, 2010/11 to 2024/25: £69,835.14133307 million to £136,584.36790053 million, +95.6%.
- Spending at 2026/27 prices: £106,793.86777895 million to £143,836.36364225 million, +34.7%.
- Average number paid: 12,566,000 to 12,987,000, +3.4%.
- People receiving State Pension, November 2018 to November 2025: England 9,910,916 to 10,410,517, +5.0%; Wales 640,639 to 661,812, +3.3%; Scotland 1,008,065 to 1,075,304, +6.7%. Both Novembers are after DWP's November 2017 break and in the same database.
- The new State Pension began in April 2016, so no change is worked out for it across that date.
Breaks the publishers note
- Weekly rate · April 2016
- The State Pension changed on 6 April 2016 for people who reach State Pension age, namely men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953. (Abstract, Note 27.) Two rates are printed from then, never one.
- Uprating measure · April 2011
- In 2011 the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) replaced the Retail Prices Index (RPI) and New Rossi as the measure of price inflation employed in the uprating process, with the exception of the basic State Pension, which retained RPI for that year only. (Abstract, Note 17.)
- Uprating measure · April 2022
- The temporary suspension of the Triple Lock meant the 2022 Earnings figure was not used in uprating State Pensions. The presented earnings figure of 8.3% has since been revised to 8.6%. (Abstract, Note 50.)
- Caseload (Stat-Xplore) · November 2017
- From November 2017 State Pension data excludes persons with a ‘suspended’ account and should be treated as a break in series. (Stat-Xplore metadata.) Every November on this page is from November 2018 on, after that break, in DWP’s current database.
- Caseload (expenditure tables) · Every year
- Caseload figures represent an average over the full financial year. Caseloads stated in these tables are rounded to the nearest 1,000. (Benefit expenditure and caseload tables, Notes 7 and 8.)
- Real terms · Every year
- Real terms expenditure has been calculated using the GDP deflator, as published by HMT, using price levels from 2026/27 (the base year). (Benefit expenditure and caseload tables, Note 6.)
Sources
| Source | Reference | Released | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
Department for Work and Pensions Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: outturn and forecast tables, Spring Forecast 2026 (State Pension sheet) State Pension spending in cash and at 2026/27 prices, DWP’s rows for each part, and the number of people paid, every year from 2010/11 to 2024/25 and 1948/49 (State Pension sheet); read from outturn-and-forecast-tables-spring-forecast-2026.xlsx (sha256 11a591e4a214…) on 2026-10-21 | Financial years 1948/49 and 2010/11 to 2024/25, as spent. DWP’s forecast columns are not read: no figure on this page is a forecast. | 14 April 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Department for Work and Pensions Abstract of DWP benefit rate statistics 2024: data tables (Tables 5, 6 and 8) The full weekly basic and new State Pension and the increase DWP applied each April, and the CPI and earnings figures DWP names (Tables 5, 6 and 8); read from data-tables-abstract-of-dwp-benefit-rate-statistics-2024.ods (sha256 a8adfe7f6fca…) on 2026-10-21 | Weekly rates and uprating measures at each April, 2010 to 2024 | 22 January 2025 | Dataset Data file |
Department for Work and Pensions Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up, financial year ending 2024 (Pension Credit tables, Table PC1) How many entitled people claimed Pension Credit, with DWP’s ranges (Table PC1); read from pension_credit_tables_fye_2324.ods (sha256 35896df8ec2e…) on 2026-10-21 | Financial year ending 2024, Great Britain | 30 October 2025 | Dataset Data file |
Office for National Statistics CPI annual rate, all items, 2015=100 (series D7G7, dataset MM23) CPI, 12 months to September, each year 2009 to 2025; read from d7g7-mm23.csv (sha256 6c03f5274ed3…) on 2026-10-21 | September of each year, 2009 to 2025, 12-month rate | 19 August 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Office for National Statistics AWE whole economy, total pay, year-on-year three-month average growth, seasonally adjusted (series KAC3, dataset LMS) Total pay growth, three months to July, each year 2009 to 2025; read from kac3-lms.csv (sha256 a25e3a9e6b41…) on 2026-10-21 | Three months to July of each year, 2009 to 2025 | 18 August 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Department for Work and Pensions Stat-Xplore: State Pension (database SP_New), caseload by country, region and local authority; /table query for November 2018, November 2019, November 2020, November 2021 People receiving State Pension by nation, region and council, November 2018 to 2021; read from table (sha256 0c0b690a34e0…) on 2026-10-21 | November 2018, November 2019, November 2020, November 2021 (quarterly snapshots) | 15 February 2022 | Dataset Data file |
Department for Work and Pensions Stat-Xplore: State Pension (database SP_New), caseload by country, region and local authority; /table query for November 2022, November 2023, November 2024, November 2025 People receiving State Pension by nation, region and council, November 2022 to 2025; read from table (sha256 373f33bfe24e…) on 2026-10-21 | November 2022, November 2023, November 2024, November 2025 (quarterly snapshots) | 17 February 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Department for Work and Pensions Stat-Xplore: State Pension (database SP_New), Weekly Amount of Benefit, mean, by country and local authority; /table query for November 2018, November 2025 DWP’s mean weekly amount by nation and council, November 2018 and 2025; read from table (sha256 a4e3894725d4…) on 2026-10-21 | November 2018, November 2025 (quarterly snapshots) | 17 February 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Office for National Statistics Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (Nomis NM_2002_1), aged 16 to 64 and aged 65 and over People aged 65 and over and aged 16 to 64, Great Britain, nations and regions, every year; read from NM_2002_1.data.csv (sha256 b5192bebfdb1…) on 2026-10-21 | Mid-1991 to mid-2025, Great Britain, nations and regions | 29 July 2026 (Nomis update) | Dataset Data file |
Office for National Statistics Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (Nomis NM_2002_1), aged 16 to 64 and aged 65 and over People aged 65 and over and aged 16 to 64 by council; read from NM_2002_1.data.csv (sha256 3689b1c79ee2…) on 2026-10-21 | Mid-2025, councils | 29 July 2026 (Nomis update) | Dataset Data file |
Office for National Statistics Ageing population estimates (local authority ageing statistics), old-age dependency ratio ONS’s old-age dependency ratio by council; read from 1.csv (sha256 3f20b27deaee…) on 2026-10-21 | Mid-2019 | 30 June 2020 | Dataset Data file |
Stat-Xplore serves only its current figures, so each of its tables here is the answer to one query, read on the date shown and kept with its hash.