Benefits
The claimant count in Glasgow since 2000
claiming in January 2026, down from 6.0% in 2000
What this means
Fewer people claim than in 2000.
The number jumped in the pandemic, then came back down.
Share of working-age people claiming
Each January · 2000 – 2026 ·
See the numbers behind this chart
| January of each year | Glasgow | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.0% | 4.1% |
| 2001 | 5.4% | 3.6% |
| 2002 | 4.8% | 3.4% |
| 2003 | 4.6% | 3.3% |
| 2004 | 4.6% | 3.2% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | 2.9% |
| 2006 | 4.0% | 2.7% |
| 2007 | 4.0% | 2.6% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | 2.2% |
| 2009 | 4.5% | 3.2% |
| 2010 | 6.0% | 4.2% |
| 2011 | 6.2% | 4.2% |
| 2012 | 6.0% | 4.3% |
| 2013 | 5.8% | 4.1% |
| 2014 | 4.6% | 3.3% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | 2.4% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | 2.2% |
| 2017 | 3.2% | 2.3% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | 2.4% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | 2.9% |
| 2020 | 4.6% | 3.2% |
| 2021 | 8.3% | 6.0% |
| 2022 | 5.8% | 3.9% |
| 2023 | 4.7% | 3.1% |
| 2024 | 4.4% | 3.0% |
| 2025 | 4.7% | 3.0% |
| 2026 | 4.5% | 2.9% |
Embed this chart on your site
<iframe src="https://scotlandcounted.org.uk/embed/glasgow-claimant-count" width="100%" height="520" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Share of working-age people claiming out-of-work benefits"></iframe>Free for any use. The chart stays live as the data updates, and links back here so your readers can check the sources.
The technical detail
From 2015 this count includes people on who are required to look for work, which is a wider group than the Jobseeker's Allowance count it replaced. The line before and after 2015 is not measuring quite the same thing.
The Glasgow-to-Scotland ratio is unaffected by that change, because it applies equally to both.
Where this comes from
- Claimant Count, Office for National Statistics, via NOMIS
Claimants as a share of residents aged 16–64, each January 2000–2026.
Every number here is checkable
Open the data table above, or download the whole dataset. If you find an error, I will correct it and say so publicly.
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