14,665 people in Lewisham claimed out-of-work benefits in September, up 340 on August. The 6.8% rate is joint 7th in London, against 5.6% across the capital.
Some 14,665 people in Lewisham were claiming benefits principally because they are out of work in September 2026. That is 340 more than in August, according to figures the Office for National Statistics published on 20 October.
The count equals 6.8% of the borough’s residents aged 16 to 64. London as a whole is at 5.6% and the UK at 3.9%.
Over the year the picture is slightly better. September’s count is 285 lower than in September 2025, when the rate was 7.0%.
August was lower than first published
When we reported the August figures, the ONS put the borough’s count at 14,610. This release revises August down to 14,325. So September’s rise of 340 is measured from a lower base than the one first reported.
Two other points help read the monthly move:
- Last September also rose on August, by 130. A late-summer rise is not new.
- Over two years the count has stayed between 14,240 (January 2026) and 15,205 (June 2025). September sits in the middle of that band.
The rise was mostly people aged 25 to 49
| Age group | September 2026 | August 2026 | September 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 24 | 2,310 | 2,270 | 2,300 |
| 25 to 49 | 8,445 | 8,200 | 8,770 |
| 50 and over | 3,910 | 3,855 | 3,885 |
The 25 to 49 group accounts for 245 of the 340 extra claimants this month. It is also the only group lower than a year ago, by 325. Claimants aged 50 and over are slightly up on the year and now make up more than a quarter of the total.
Men outnumber women on the count, 7,740 to 6,925.
Joint seventh in London
Six of London’s 33 boroughs have a higher claimant rate than Lewisham:
- Newham and Barking and Dagenham, 7.5%
- Haringey, 7.4%
- Enfield, 7.3%
- Brent, 7.2%
- Hackney, 6.9%
Tower Hamlets shares Lewisham’s 6.8%. Every borough bordering Lewisham is lower:
| Borough | September 2026 rate |
|---|---|
| Lewisham | 6.8% |
| Lambeth | 6.2% |
| Greenwich | 5.8% |
| Southwark | 5.7% |
| Bromley | 3.5% |
What this number is, and is not
The claimant count is not the unemployment rate. The ONS says that it “does not attempt to measure unemployment”. It counts people claiming benefits principally because they are unemployed. Under Universal Credit that includes some people in low-paid work who are required to look for more. Counts are rounded to the nearest five, so the age groups do not always add exactly to the total.
What it means for you
- If you are looking for work, Lewisham Council runs a free employment support service, Lewisham Works, alongside Jobcentre Plus.
- The October figures are due from the ONS in November. Recent months are revised, so September’s 14,665 may move too.
- For the other half of the local economy picture, our August house prices report shows Lewisham prices falling 1.6% over the year.
Sources
- ONS claimant count for Lewisham, September 2024 to September 2026, via Nomis (monthly counts, including the revised August figure)
- Claimant rate for all 33 London boroughs, September 2026 (the ranking and the neighbours)
- London and UK claimant rates, September 2026
- Lewisham claimant rate, September 2025 and September 2026
- Age breakdown for Lewisham (age codes 2, 3 and 4; the sex split from gender codes 1 and 2)
- ONS Claimant Count QMI
Lewisham News pulled these figures from the Nomis API (dataset NM_162_1, last updated 20 October 2026) on 23 October 2026.
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