Civometry

HM Treasury · 13 December 2019 – 5 July 2024

Spending on defence, real terms during the Conservative 2019–2024 government

Year ending March 2019 → Year ending March 2024 · 5 periods

↑ 15.7%+£8.3bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices

Spending on defence, real terms rose by 15.7% over the period, from £52.8bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices (Year ending March 2019, the level when the government took office) to £61.1bn (Year ending March 2024, the last complete period before it left office).

  1. Inherited level Year ending March 2019: £52.8bn
  2. Level when it left Year ending March 2024: £61.1bn
  3. method: latest complete period before start / before end

Changes during this period do not by themselves show what the government caused. Statistics reflect many influences, including earlier decisions, the economy and how the data is collected.

Spending on defence, real terms: Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2026LabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour020406020052010201520202025Year ending March 2003: £47.5bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2004: £51.4bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2005: £51.6bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2006: £52.3bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2007: £52.7bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2008: £54.1bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2009: £57bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2010: £57.6bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2011: £59bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2012: £56.9bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2013: £52.5bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2014: £51.6bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2015: £51.3bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2016: £50.8bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2017: £50.5bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2018: £52bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2019: £52.8bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2020: £54bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2021: £54.2bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2022: £59bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2023: £62.9bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2024: £61.1bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2025: £65.9bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2026: £65.4bn £ billion, 2024-25 prices · published 2 September 2026
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Definition and caveats

Public sector spending on defence in real terms, at 2024-25 prices using the GDP deflator.

Doesn’t measure: Spending as a share of GDP, or spending in cash terms.