Almost 2 million foreign nationals are claiming benefits or the state pension at a cost of £23bn a year, a think tank warns

The Centre for Social Justice found approximately 1.85 million non-British adults received at least one form of welfare support or the state pension in 2025, with the total bill expected to hit £27bn by 2030. The number of foreign nationals on Universal Credit has surged by 38% since April 2022 alone, reaching 1.3 million recipients. The Government says it does not recognise the figures, but the CSJ says its data came directly from the DWP, HMRC and the Home Office.

Around 200,000 foreign nationals now claim disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment, with another 200,000 on sickness benefits.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who founded the CSJ, says governments have 'let unconstrained immigration drive up the welfare bill' while families face rising taxes.

The total is expected to top 2 million recipients by 2030, as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood faces a Labour backlash over plans to tighten settled-status rules.