About statistics

Social Security Scotland routinely publishes official statistics relating to all administered benefits. The statistics provide information about people applying for and receiving benefits, as well as information about the performance of the social security system in Scotland.

Official statistics

Official Statistics are statistics produced by public bodies that provide trustworthy, high-quality and impartial information for the public good, in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics.

Our published official statistics help inform evidence-based decision making across Social Security Scotland and the wider public sector. They support service improvement, policy development and Scottish Budget forecasting. They also help improve public understanding of Scotland's social security system.

All statistics produced by Social Security Scotland are labelled as official statistics, unless clearly stated otherwise. This follows a decision made in June 2026 to remove the ‘official statistics in development’ label from statistics publications. More information on this decision can found in the re-labelling Social Security Scotland statistics document.

More information on the types of official statistics can be found on the UK Statistics Authority website.

Compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

As part of the Scottish Government Statistics Group, statistical staff in Social Security Scotland primarily work to the same governance and frameworks to publish official statistics.

Information on how Social Security Scotland complies with the Code of Practice for Statistics is available in our published compliance statement.

Code of Practice for Statistics: Compliance Statement

Information on the quality of individual statistical products, including methods, strengths and limitations, is published in background notes accompanying each release. We also publish a Data and Methodology Changes document to keep users informed on any changes made as our statistics continue to develop.

Current and forthcoming publications

Our most recently published statistical reports can be found on the latest publications page. A list of planned upcoming statistical releases is available in our timetable of forthcoming publications.

Published management information

Management Information is aggregate information collated and used in the normal course of business to inform operational delivery, policy development, or the management of organisational performance. It is typically collected for operational reasons, with its statistical use usually secondary.

Social Security Scotland biannually publish management information collected from its telephony and webchat service system. Statistical staff are one of a number of users of the system who can access and edit underlying metrics used to monitor and report on performance.

Whilst the information does not meet the requirements for releasing as official statistics, the core principles of the Code of Practice for Statistics are followed: the data is accessible, data quality and limitations are explained, and there is a clear separation between the published data and any policy or political message.

Stakeholder engagement

Maximising public value is central to the work undertaken by statistical staff. Social Security Scotland annually publish a statistics plan which sets out the work teams will undertake during the year.

The plans are guided by user need and are aligned with the strategic priorities of the Scottish Government Statistics Group. For more information, visit our statistics plans page which contains information on our annual work plans.

Getting in touch with us

Please contact us via email at MI@socialsecurity.gov.scot for further information on Social Security Scotland statistics and management information.