# MAPPED: The UK areas paid more in benefits than they pay in tax as welfare bill soars

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/mapped-the-uk-areas-paid-more-in-benefits-than-they-pay-in-tax-as-welfare-bill-soars/
- Published: 2026-11-08T18:56:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T19:25:57+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Express (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.express.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/2264427/map-uk-areas-more-benefits-than-tax
- Topics: UK, World

## Key points

- Welfare spending exceeds income tax and National Insurance in most English constituencies.
- Wales spends £1.88 in welfare for each £1 raised through those taxes.
- The UK benefits bill is projected to reach £431 billion by 2031-32.

## Summary

New research by the Adam Smith Institute finds that welfare spending exceeds the income tax and National Insurance collected in three-quarters of English constituencies, and across Wales as a whole. The figures highlight regional differences in how welfare is funded and come as the UK benefits bill is forecast to grow, prompting questions about the system’s long-term sustainability.

The tracker estimates £1.25 of welfare spending for every £1 of income tax and National Insurance in England, and £1.88 in Wales. Birmingham records £2.54 per £1, compared with £2.05 in Liverpool, £1.52 in Manchester and 78p in London; only London and the South East are described as net contributors. Pensions account for 47% of the bill, while the total is projected to rise from £353 billion to £431 billion by 2031-32; Andy Burnham has called for major changes to support young people not in work, education or training.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.