Nearly a quarter of Universal Credit recipients are from BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) backgrounds, official figures show.
This is despite the group making up just 18 per cent of the total population.
Government data reveals an increase of 1.1 million claimants compared with October 2024, when 7.2 million claimed the benefit.
According to the latest Government statistics, this marks the highest level since Universal Credit was introduced in 2013.
Officials attribute part of the rise to the continued migration from older welfare schemes under the Move to Universal Credit programme.
Who is claiming Universal Credit? Full ethnicity breakdown REVEALED as number of claimants jumps by a MILLION
|
DWP
Full ethnicity breakdown
Among those receiving universal credit, 76.5 per cent identified as White in October 2025.
Asian or Asian British claimants made up 10.1 per cent, while Black, African, Caribbean or Black British recipients accounted for 6 per cent.
A further 4.5 per cent identified with other ethnic backgrounds, and 2.9 per cent as mixed or multiple heritage.
These figures, based on voluntary declarations from 75 per cent of claimants, remained largely unchanged from the previous year.
The proportion identifying as White was steady at 76.5 per cent, while the Asian or Asian British share declined slightly from 10.4 per cent.
What else does the latest data show?
The total number of claimants has risen by 15 per cent in a single year.
Almost half of all recipients, 49 per cent, are now classed as having “no work requirements,” meaning they are not required to seek employment.
This group of around four million people includes those unable to work due to health conditions or caring responsibilities.
It has overtaken job seekers as the largest group within the welfare system since April 2022.
The shift has changed the character of Universal Credit, which was originally designed to assist those temporarily out of work.
It is now increasingly used by people facing long-term barriers to employment.
Government data reveals an increase of 1.1 million claimants compared with October 2024
|
DWP
Citizenship data shows that 84.3 per cent of Universal Credit recipients are British or Irish nationals, or hold right of abode in the UK.
This is up from 82.9 per cent in October 2024.
Those registered under the EU Settlement Scheme represent 9.2 per cent of claimants, down from 10.5 per cent the year before.
A further 2.7 per cent hold Indefinite Leave to Remain outside the EU scheme.
Together these groups make up 96 per cent of all claimants.
Refugees account for 1.5 per cent, while those with limited leave to remain, including family reunion cases, represent 0.9 per cent.
Women continue to make up the majority of claimants at 57 per cent, though this has fallen slightly from 59 per cent in 2024.
The median age of claimants has increased to 41, up from 40 the previous year, indicating an ageing benefit population.
Employment data show that 33 per cent of recipients, around 2.6 million people, were working in September 2025.
Two-thirds of those on Universal Credit therefore remain outside employment.
Officials say the figures underline the continued pressure on welfare budgets as caseloads rise and the population of claimants ages.
The statistics will form part of a wider review into the sustainability of welfare spending ahead of the next fiscal year.