Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) has been recorded as the third highest Local Government District (LGD) area in Northern Ireland for claimants of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), it has been revealed.
PIP is designed to help with some of the extra costs caused by long term disability, ill health or terminal ill health. From June 20, 2016, the Department for Communities (DfC) began to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for working age people with PIP.
The DLA to PIP migration process for working age claimants was completed by the end of November 2019 and DLA claimants turning 16 will continue to be reassessed for PIP.
The statistics – provided by The Department for Communities – for claimants in receipt of PIP by August 31, 2025 reveal that a total of 22,840 claims were recorded as “in payment”, with 11, 440 of those presented as “new claims” – a claim to PIP which does not originate from an existing DLA claim.
The ABC figures were only topped by Derry City and Strabane, where there were 25, 390 claims recorded and Belfast – as the highest LGD in Northern Ireland – with 50, 740… which alone equates to 23% of all PIP claims in Northern Ireland.
Newry, Mourne and Down followed close behind ABC with a total of 20, 530.
For Northern Ireland as a whole there are a total of 224,920 PIP claims in payment (on 31 August 2025) and almost half of these (46%) have a main disabling condition recorded under the highest medical category of ‘Psychiatric disorders (Mental Illness)’.
The two other most common reasons for claims included Musculoskeletal disease (general) which made up a further 20% and Musculoskeletal disease (regional) made up 12%.
