New government statistics have shown that just 1.5% of Universal Credit claimants in Great Britain were refugees, compared to 83% who are British and Irish.
For months, large parts of the right have spouted lines about refugees and asylum seekers coming to Britain to claim Universal Credit.
But would you believe it, refugees actually make up a fraction of the total claimants in Britain.
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On Tuesday, the government released its latest official figures on Universal Credit claims for July 2025, which showed that there had been a significant increase in claimants compared to a year ago.
In July 2025, there were 8 million people on Universal Credit, compared to 6.9 million in July 2024.
However, the headline that certain part of the press and political sphere won’t tell you is this: that just 1.5% of those on Universal Credit are refugees.
A break down of the stats showed that 83.8% of claimants were British and Irish nationals, and people with right of abode in the UK.
The figures also show that more than a third (34%) of people on Universal Credit were in employment in June 2025, and 76.5% of claimants belonged to the ‘White’ ethnicity group.
Of course, we don’t expect the likes of Farage to acknowledge this, but next time you speak to someone who tells you refugees are only coming to Britain to claim benefits, let them know about this stat.
You can read the full report from the Department of Work and Pensions by clicking here.