Social protection and health were the largest areas of public spending in 2025-26
Public sector spending on services by function, UK, 2003-04 to 2025-26. Adjusted for inflation to 2025-26 prices.
Latest figures
| Series | Period | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Social protection | 2025-26 | £407bn |
| Health | 2025-26 | £258bn |
| Education | 2025-26 | £126bn |
| Debt interest | 2025-26 | £130bn |
| Economic affairs incl. transport | 2025-26 | £94.0bn |
| Defence | 2025-26 | £65.4bn |
| Police, courts and prisons | 2025-26 | £55.7bn |
| Everything else | 2025-26 | £91.8bn |
Findings
- After inflation, health spending rose 44% between 2011-12 and 2025-26, and education fell 1%
- Debt interest cost twice as much as defence in 2025-26: £130.3bn against £65.4bn
Notes
- Functions follow the UN Classification of the Functions of Government (COFOG). Debt interest is shown separately from general public services.
- Debt interest here is the Treasury's figure for the whole public sector. It includes payments relating to the Bank of England's asset purchases and interest on unfunded public sector pensions, so it is higher than the OBR's central government figure in the debt interest chart.
- From 2010-11 payments to the EU are counted before VAT-based deductions, which adds about £7 billion a year to "Everything else" from then on.
- "Everything else" is general public services excluding debt interest, environment protection, housing and community amenities, recreation and culture, and EU transactions.
- Education falls between 2010-11 and 2011-12 partly because the cost of student loans was moved out of this series.
- Network Rail spending is included in transport from 2015-16 onwards.
- Economic affairs and health jump in 2020-21 with spending on the COVID-19 response, including support for businesses and jobs.
- Social protection includes state pensions and other benefits.
Sources
More on public finances
- A salary of £32,100 pays £5,468 in income tax and National Insurance in 2026-27
- A full-time worker on typical pay of £39,863 paid 19.2% of it in income tax and National Insurance in 2025-26
- Debt interest cost 8.8p for every £1 the government raised in 2025-26
- Public spending on services was £1,228bn in 2025-26
- Income tax made up 26.7p of every £1 the public sector raised in 2025-26
- The top 1% of income tax payers paid 27.2% of all income tax in 2023-24
- The government spent 44.5% of GDP and raised 40.1% in 2025-26
- Public sector net debt was 93.3% of GDP in 2025-26
- Spending on debt interest rose by £79bn after inflation between 2020-21 and 2025-26, more than any other area