The SNP have been accused of “bankrupting Scotland” after new figures highlighted the explosion in welfare spending.
Bombshell stats published by Social Security Scotland (SSS) today show a 64-per-cent rise in the amount the quango paid out in benefits in the space of just a year.
In 2025-26, SSS spent £5.875 billion on payouts to 1.9 million recipients, compared to £3.58b to 976,320 recipients in 2024-25.
Astonishingly, this represents a 15,000-per-cent rise in welfare spending since SSS was established in 2018.
Well over half of the £5.875b total outlay in the last financial year went on Adult Disability Payment, with more than half a million recipients being paid £3.35b. Both figures were substantially up on those for 2024-25.
Craig Hoy, the Scottish Conservatives’ finance and social security spokesman, said the figures highlighted the ballooning and unsustainable benefits the SNP were presiding over – and which only his party was willing to confront.
Scottish Conservative spokesman for finance and social security Craig Hoy said: “These bombshell figures demonstrate what we’ve been saying for years: the SNP is bankrupting Scotland with a ballooning and completely unsustainable welfare bill.
“Everybody believes in a safety net for the most vulnerable in society, but the SNP are presiding over an explosion in benefits spending that is unaffordable and unfair on the hard-working Scots who are funding it through record high taxes.
“This inexorable rise cannot continue, and yet the Scottish Conservatives are the only party confronting the massive elephant in the room.
“All of the other parties are burying their heads in the sand, while finance secretary Jenny Gilruth says she’s proud of splurging taxpayers’ money on a bill that is set to top £10billion per year soon.
“The SNP have created a light-touch benefits system that is wide open to abuse.
“That was demonstrated by the case of a high-profile former SNP candidate, who wrongly claimed £20,000 in Adult Disability Payment, which only came to light when someone in her own party informed the authorities.
“We cannot go on like this. The Scottish Conservatives would rein in benefits spending by restricting ADP for minor mental health conditions.”
Notes to editors
In 2025-26, Social Security Scotland paid a total of £5,875,109,385 to 1,915,260 clients. This is almost double the 976,320 clients who received £3,580,582,225 in 2024-25, and almost 20 times the 96,415 clients who received £39,011,840 in 2018-19. (Social Security Scotland Number of Individual Clients Paid, 2025-2026, 30 June 2026, link; Social Security Scotland Number of Individual Clients Paid, 2025-2026, 30 June 2026, link).
Social Security Scotland payments have increased by almost 15,000% since 2018. The number of clients has increased by 96.2% between 2024-25 and 2025-26, while the expenditure rose by 64.1%. Compared with 2018-19, the number of clients increased by 1,886.5%, while expenditure rose by 14,959.8%. (Social Security Scotland Number of Individual Clients Paid, 2025-2026, 30 June 2026, link; Social Security Scotland Number of Individual Clients Paid, 2025-2026, 30 June 2026, link).
The Adult Disability Payment was the largest benefit administered in 2025-26. It has 517,835 clients receiving payments worth £3,354,659,230. Compared with 2024-25, this represents an increase of 52,530 clients and £969,213,115. (Social Security Scotland Number of Individual Clients Paid, 2025-2026, 30 June 2026, link; Social Security Scotland Number of Individual Clients Paid, 2025-2026, 30 June 2026, link).
Since 2018, Social Security Scotland has handed out over £12 billion. This means that in total, 2,073,150 clients have received payments from Social Security Scotland, totalling £12,266,560,200. (Social Security Scotland Number of Individual Clients Paid, 2025-2026, 30 June 2026, link; Social Security Scotland Number of Individual Clients Paid, 2025-2026, 30 June 2026, link).