The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published figures showing more than 1.2 million Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims associated with 86 musculoskeletal conditions as of April 2026.
PIP is designed to help people with long-term physical or mental health conditions and disabilities meet some of the additional costs associated with their condition. The benefit is based on how a person’s condition affects their ability to carry out daily activities and move around, rather than simply on the name of their diagnosis.
The figures provide a breakdown of claims across conditions ranging from osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia to spinal disorders, amputations and musculoskeletal injuries.
PIP
Personal Independence Payment is a disability benefit for people who have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability that affects their daily life or mobility.
PIP has two separate components. The daily living component is intended to help with extra costs associated with everyday activities, while the mobility component provides support for difficulties getting around.
The weekly rates supplied in the source material are £76.55 for the standard daily living rate and £114.80 for the enhanced rate. The mobility component is £30.20 at the standard rate and £80.10 at the enhanced rate.
Depending on which components and rates a claimant qualifies for, the maximum combined weekly amount can reach £187. This is equivalent to approximately £748 over four weeks.
Eligibility
Having one of the conditions listed by the DWP does not automatically guarantee a PIP award.
The assessment focuses on how a person’s condition affects specific daily living and mobility activities. Two people with the same diagnosis could therefore receive different outcomes depending on the severity and practical impact of their conditions.
PIP is also not based on National Insurance contributions and is not means-tested. Employment, savings or receipt of other benefits do not automatically prevent someone from qualifying.
A claimant generally needs to demonstrate that their condition has a qualifying long-term impact on their ability to carry out relevant activities.
Conditions
The DWP figures cover a broad range of musculoskeletal conditions. Some of the largest categories include primary generalised osteoarthritis, with 218,067 claims, and fibromyalgia, with 179,051 claims.
Other substantial categories include specific or unspecified back pain, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee.
| Condition | Claims |
|---|---|
| Primary generalised osteoarthritis | 218,067 |
| Fibromyalgia | 179,051 |
| Back pain – Specific – Other / type not known | 116,405 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 85,085 |
| Inflammatory arthritis – Other / type not known | 71,829 |
| Back pain – Non specific (mechanical) | 52,374 |
| Osteoarthritis of knee | 47,980 |
| Lumbar disc lesion | 40,163 |
| Crystal deposition disorders – Other / type not known | 34 |
| Spinal stenosis | 20,779 |
The number of claims does not represent the number of people who necessarily receive the maximum PIP amount. Claim amounts depend on individual assessments.
Payments
PIP payments are determined by the claimant’s entitlement to the two components and the applicable rate.
The daily living component covers activities such as preparing food, washing, dressing and managing certain health needs. The mobility component relates to difficulties planning or following journeys and moving around.
A claimant may qualify for one component but not the other, or receive different rates for each component.
This means there is no single payment automatically attached to a particular medical condition. The same diagnosis can affect people in different ways, and the assessment considers those practical effects.
Breakdown
The DWP’s April 2026 figures include conditions affecting almost every part of the musculoskeletal system.
The list includes joint conditions such as osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, gout and shoulder disorders. It also covers spinal conditions including cervical spondylosis, lumbar spondylosis, scoliosis, spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis.
Hand and wrist conditions include carpal tunnel syndrome, Dupuytren’s contracture and tenosynovitis. Lower limb categories include knee disorders, hip disorders, ankle and foot conditions, and several types of amputation.
Injury-related categories are also included, covering fractures, dislocations and injuries involving the lower limbs, upper limbs, pelvis, spine and thorax.
Figures
The complete DWP breakdown includes the following 86 musculoskeletal categories and the number of associated claims recorded in April 2026:
| Condition | Claims |
|---|---|
| Osteoarthritis of Hip | 22,008 |
| Osteoarthritis of Knee | 47,980 |
| Osteoarthritis of other single joint | 15,179 |
| Primary generalised Osteoarthritis | 218,067 |
| Fibromyalgia | 179,051 |
| Pain syndromes – Chronic – Other / type not known | 17,281 |
| Ankylosing spondylitis | 13,583 |
| Arthritis – Psoriatic | 18,380 |
| Arthritis – Reactive | 1,959 |
| Inflammatory arthritis – Other / type not known | 71,829 |
| Juvenile chronic arthritis (Still’s disease) | 1,747 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 85,085 |
| Crystal deposition disorders – Other / type not known | 34 |
| Gout | 2,808 |
| Pseudogout | 67 |
| Osteochondritis | 372 |
| Osteonecrosis | 926 |
| Osteomalacia | 157 |
| Osteoporosis | 11,976 |
| Other metabolic and endocrine disorders of musculoskeletal system | 665 |
| Paget’s disease | 122 |
| Rickets | 160 |
| Achondroplasia | 738 |
| Epiphyseal dysplasia – multiple | 271 |
| Genetic disorders dysplasias and malformations – Other / type not known | 13,507 |
| Hereditary multiple exostosis (diaphyseal aclasis) | 302 |
| Hypermobility syndrome | 8,017 |
| Marfan’s syndrome | 771 |
| Osteogenesis imperfecta | 971 |
| Tumours of bone – benign | 451 |
| Compartment syndrome (Volkmann’s ischaemia) | 285 |
| Fracture complications – Other / type not known | 1,734 |
| Sudek’s atrophy | 61 |
| Generalised musculoskeletal disease – Other / type not known | 16,229 |
| Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) | 1,894 |
| Rotator cuff disorder | 2,028 |
| Shoulder disorders – Other / type not known | 7,273 |
| Shoulder instability | 186 |
| Elbow disorders – Other / type not known | 745 |
| Golfers elbow (medial epicondylitis) | 114 |
| Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) | 442 |
| Carpal tunnel syndrome | 8,466 |
| Dupuytrens contracture | 1,681 |
| Tendon lesions | 326 |
| Tenosynovitis | 487 |
| Wrist and hand disorders – Other / type not known | 9,063 |
| Cervical disc lesion | 3,158 |
| Cervical spondylosis | 9,595 |
| Neck disorders – Other / type not known | 6,231 |
| Whiplash injury | 173 |
| Back pain – Non specific (mechanical) | 52,374 |
| Back pain – Specific – Other / type not known | 116,405 |
| Kyphosis | 1,231 |
| Lumbar disc lesion | 40,163 |
| Lumbar spondylosis (OA spine) | 23,732 |
| Schuermann’s disease | 1,132 |
| Scoliosis | 13,418 |
| Spinal stenosis | 20,779 |
| Spondylolisthesis | 7,485 |
| Dislocation of the hip – congenital | 1,289 |
| Hip disorders – Other / type not known | 17,428 |
| Perthes disease | 2,024 |
| Slipped upper femoral epiphysis | 266 |
| Bursitis | 409 |
| Chondromalacia patellae | 501 |
| Knee disorders – Other / type not known | 21,343 |
| Ligamentous instability of knee | 612 |
| Meniscal lesions | 1,074 |
| Osgood schlatters disease | 211 |
| Osteochondritis dissecans | 134 |
| Patellar dislocation – Recurrent | 603 |
| Ankle and foot disorders – Other / type not known | 14,144 |
| Club foot (talipes) | 1,851 |
| Fore foot pain (Metatarsalgia) | 213 |
| Hallux valgus /rigidus | 237 |
| Amputation – Lower limb(s) | 14,112 |
| Amputation – Upper limb(s) | 3,134 |
| Amputations – Upper & Lower limb/s | 512 |
| Abdomen – Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of | 342 |
| Lower limb – Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of | 16,283 |
| Multiple – Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation | 9,815 |
| Pelvis – Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of | 1,972 |
| Spine – Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of | 19,722 |
| Thorax – Injury/Fracture/Dislocation of | 292 |
| Upper limb – Injury/Fracture/Dislocation of | 6,486 |
| Musculoskeletal disease – Regional / Localised – Other / type not known | 15,762 |
Assessment
The figures show the number of PIP claims associated with each condition, but they should not be interpreted as a list of diagnoses that automatically qualify for payment.
PIP eligibility depends on the effect of a health condition or disability on a person’s ability to complete specified activities. The condition generally needs to have lasted, or be expected to last, for at least 12 months.
For people considering a claim, medical evidence can help explain the nature and long-term effects of a condition. However, the assessment is concerned with functional limitations rather than simply the presence of a diagnosis.
The DWP’s data provides a useful picture of the conditions recorded among PIP claimants, but the amount paid to each individual remains dependent on their circumstances and assessment outcome.
