One Sixth of Cash for Key Benefit Handed to Foreigners
11th October 2025
Foreign nationals now receive one in every six pounds paid out under Britain’s main state benefit, official figures reveal.
Internal government data, published for the first time, show more than £10bn worth of Universal Credit was paid to non-UK or Irish citizens last year.
The data, released under freedom of information laws, reveal that £10.1bn of the £61.2bn spent on Universal Credit in 2024 went to foreigners.
It means that 16.5 per cent of the entire budget went to migrants – or £1 in every £6.
The amount spent on overseas nationals has increased from £6.3bn in 2022 and £7.9bn in 2023, rising as a proportion from 15.5 to 16.5 per cent.