Civometry

DWP · people

Incapacity benefits caseload under each government

The full published series with each government’s time in office shaded. The table gives the level each government inherited and the last complete period before it left. Changes describe the period, not a cause. Definitions and caveats are on the metric page.

Incapacity benefits caseload: Year ending March 1949 to Year ending March 2025ConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabourLabourLabourCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour01m2m3m19501960197019801990200020102020Year ending March 1949: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1950: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1951: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1952: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1953: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1954: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1955: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1956: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1957: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1958: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1959: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1960: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1961: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1962: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1963: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1964: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1965: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1966: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1967: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1968: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1969: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1970: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1971: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1972: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1973: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1974: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1975: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1976: 0 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1977: 103,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1978: 107,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1979: 1,254,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1980: 1,272,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1981: 1,270,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1982: 1,340,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1983: 1,387,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1984: 1,332,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1985: 1,339,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1986: 1,408,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1987: 1,446,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1988: 1,531,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1989: 1,662,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1990: 1,799,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1991: 1,959,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1992: 2,172,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1993: 2,409,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1994: 2,594,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1995: 2,765,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1996: 2,848,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1997: 2,819,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1998: 2,813,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1999: 2,749,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2000: 2,731,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2001: 2,767,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2002: 2,797,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2003: 2,814,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2004: 2,819,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2005: 2,811,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2006: 2,763,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2007: 2,718,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2008: 2,678,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2009: 2,719,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2010: 2,662,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2011: 2,636,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2012: 2,608,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2013: 2,541,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2014: 2,476,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2015: 2,531,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2016: 2,543,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2017: 2,491,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2018: 2,399,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2019: 2,227,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2020: 2,559,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2021: 2,660,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2022: 2,882,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2023: 3,072,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2024: 3,291,000 people · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2025: 3,549,000 people · published 26 March 2026
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value
GovernmentInheritedLeft at / latestChange during government
Labour 2024–5 July 2024 – presentFewer than two periods have been published during this government, so no change is shown yet.
Conservative 2019–202413 December 2019 – 5 July 20242,227,000Year ending March 20193,291,000Year ending March 2024↑ 47.8%+1,064,000
Conservative 2017–20199 June 2017 – 13 December 20192,491,000Year ending March 20172,227,000Year ending March 2019↓ 10.6%−264,000
Conservative 2015–20178 May 2015 – 9 June 20172,531,000Year ending March 20152,491,000Year ending March 2017↓ 1.6%−40,000
Coalition 2010–201511 May 2010 – 8 May 20152,662,000Year ending March 20102,531,000Year ending March 2015↓ 4.9%−131,000
Labour 2005–20106 May 2005 – 11 May 20102,811,000Year ending March 20052,662,000Year ending March 2010↓ 5.3%−149,000
Labour 2001–20058 June 2001 – 5 May 20052,767,000Year ending March 20012,811,000Year ending March 2005↑ 1.6%+44,000
Labour 1997–20012 May 1997 – 7 June 20012,819,000Year ending March 19972,767,000Year ending March 2001↓ 1.8%−52,000
Conservative 1992–199710 April 1992 – 2 May 19972,172,000Year ending March 19922,819,000Year ending March 1997↑ 29.8%+647,000
Conservative 1987–199212 June 1987 – 9 April 19921,446,000Year ending March 19872,172,000Year ending March 1992↑ 50.2%+726,000
Conservative 1983–198710 June 1983 – 11 June 19871,387,000Year ending March 19831,446,000Year ending March 1987↑ 4.3%+59,000
Conservative 1979–19834 May 1979 – 9 June 19831,254,000Year ending March 19791,387,000Year ending March 1983↑ 10.6%+133,000