Mental ill-health is behind soaring disability benefits bill in England and Wales, report says

Institute for Fiscal Studies says half of the rise in working-age people claiming the benefit last year is linked to mental health

More than half of the increase in disability benefits is due to more mental health claims, according to research.

Since the pandemic, the number of working-age adults in England and Wales paid disability benefits has increased by nearly 1 million people to 2.9 million in 2024, with 7.5% of 16- to 64-year-olds claiming.