# Claimant rate: highest and lowest councils in Northern Ireland (August 2026)

Derry City and Strabane had the highest claimant rate of Northern Ireland’s 11 councils in August 2026, at 4.1%.

Lisburn and Castlereagh had the lowest, at 2.0%. The middle council, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, had 2.6%.

| Rank | Area | Claimant rate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Derry City and Strabane](https://openindex.co.uk/derry-city-and-strabane) | 4.1% |
| 2 | [Belfast](https://openindex.co.uk/belfast) | 3.9% |
| 3 | [Causeway Coast and Glens](https://openindex.co.uk/causeway-coast-and-glens) | 2.9% |
| 4 | [Mid and East Antrim](https://openindex.co.uk/mid-and-east-antrim) | 2.7% |
| =5 | [Ards and North Down](https://openindex.co.uk/ards-and-north-down) | 2.6% |
| =5 | [Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon](https://openindex.co.uk/armagh-city-banbridge-and-craigavon) | 2.6% |
| =5 | [Newry, Mourne and Down](https://openindex.co.uk/newry-mourne-and-down) | 2.6% |
| 8 | [Fermanagh and Omagh](https://openindex.co.uk/fermanagh-and-omagh) | 2.3% |
| =9 | [Antrim and Newtownabbey](https://openindex.co.uk/antrim-and-newtownabbey) | 2.2% |
| =9 | [Mid Ulster](https://openindex.co.uk/mid-ulster) | 2.2% |
| 11 | [Lisburn and Castlereagh](https://openindex.co.uk/lisburn-and-castlereagh) | 2.0% |

Source: Claimant count (Nomis), ONS via Nomis. Period: August 2026. Period: August 2026.

## Other rankings of this measure

- [UK](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/uk)
- [England](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/england)
- [Scotland](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/scotland)
- [Wales](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/wales)
- [North East](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/north-east)
- [North West](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/north-west)
- [Yorkshire and The Humber](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/yorkshire-and-the-humber)
- [East Midlands](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/east-midlands)
- [West Midlands](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/west-midlands)
- [East of England](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/east-of-england)
- [London](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/london)
- [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/south-east)
- [South West](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/south-west)

- [The map](https://openindex.co.uk/map/claimant-rate)
- [Source and method](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/claimant-rate)

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/northern-ireland.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.11. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/northern-ireland