PIP: 3.8m in England and Wales, 1.2m for musculoskeletal conditions

The Department for Work and Pensions has published new figures showing that nearly 1.2 million adults across Great Britain are receiving Personal Independence Payment support for musculoskeletal conditions, while tens or hundreds of thousands of other claimants are recorded under mental health and cardiovascular categories. The data, covering active claims as of July 2025, also confirms that there are now more than 3.8 million people in England and Wales receiving PIP and that Social Security Scotland’s Adult Disability Payment is supporting about 484,055 people in Scotland.

The DWP's breakdown identifies the range of conditions that can underpin awards. Officials list 87 musculoskeletal conditions that have generated PIP awards, including osteoarthritis, back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis and gout. The department also records 20 psychiatric disorder categories associated with PIP claims, and 13 cardiovascular disease categories; the mental health total stood at about 1,482,217 active claims and cardiovascular-related claims numbered roughly 99,685 in July.

PIP is a disability benefit for people aged 16 up to State Pension age with an illness, disability...