Our benefit datasets are sourced directly from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Our data is extracted as observed at the most granular level (age band and gender). However, for data protection reasons, the DWP introduces random errors into values under 5 to avoid identifying individuals. Many small values will therefore be shown as 0 this will cause some values to appear as missing in our data-set when comparing total claimants in the entire country to the figures shown by the DWP

As our default setting is to present the data at the most granular level the content should therefore be used to identify trends over time, by area rather than showing an exact number of claimants.