Civometry

DWP · Year ending March 1949 to Year ending March 2025 · £ million

Total benefit expenditure, real terms

Total benefit expenditure, real terms: Year ending March 1949 to Year ending March 2025ConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabourLabourLabourCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour0100k200k300k19501960197019801990200020102020Year ending March 1949: £20.9bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1950: £25.9bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1951: £25.8bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1952: £25.2bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1953: £27.9bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1954: £28.8bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1955: £29bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1956: £31.4bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1957: £30.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1958: £31.5bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1959: £37.6bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1960: £39.3bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1961: £39.6bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1962: £42.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1963: £43.9bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1964: £49.6bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1965: £49.2bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1966: £55.2bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1967: £55.6bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1968: £61.5bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1969: £66.4bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1970: £66.4bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1971: £64.8bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1972: £70.1bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1973: £74.8bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1974: £77.3bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1975: £80.5bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1976: £87.5bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1977: £91.4bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1978: £96.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1979: £103.2bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1980: £104.4bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1981: £105.8bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1982: £117bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1983: £124.5bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1984: £132.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1985: £135.8bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1986: £140.6bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1987: £145.3bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1988: £142.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1989: £135.4bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1990: £133.2bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1991: £138bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1992: £152.8bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1993: £168.8bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1994: £179.8bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1995: £182bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1996: £184.4bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1997: £185.5bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1998: £187.2bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1999: £189bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2000: £193.5bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2001: £196.3bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2002: £202.6bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2003: £205.2bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2004: £192.1bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2005: £195.9bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2006: £198.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2007: £198.6bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2008: £206.3bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2009: £213.9bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2010: £230.3bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2011: £234.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2012: £238.1bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2013: £245.3bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2014: £236.8bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2015: £239.4bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2016: £242.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2017: £240.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2018: £243.5bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2019: £245.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2020: £250.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2021: £263.9bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2022: £268.6bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2023: £268.9bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2024: £293.5bn £ million · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2025: £304.7bn £ million · published 26 March 2026
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Source: DWP, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables: outturn and forecast (Spring Forecast 2026), Benefit expenditure and caseload tables: Spring Forecast 2026 (published 26 March 2026). Data presentation: Civometry.

Share and download

Embed

Interactive embed with title, period, official source and a link back:

<iframe src="https://civometry.com/embed/benefit-expenditure-total-real" width="720" height="400" style="border:0;max-width:100%" title="Total benefit expenditure, real terms | Civometry" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Or a static image; the alt text carries the official source:

<a href="https://civometry.com/charts/benefit-expenditure-total-real"><img src="https://civometry.com/charts/benefit-expenditure-total-real/svg?" alt="Total benefit expenditure, real terms, Year ending March 1949 to Year ending March 2025. Source: DWP. Data presentation: Civometry." width="720" height="300"></a>