Civometry

Answered from official statistics · HM Treasury

Where does government spending go?

Year ending March 2025

£1.29tn£ billion

Total managed expenditure was £1.29tn in the year ending March 2025, up 4.6% (£56.2bn) from £1.23tn in the year ending March 2024.

  1. HM Treasury
  2. Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2025, chapter 4: expenditure by function
  3. Table 4.2
  4. published 17 July 2025
  5. full metric page

Total managed expenditure: £1.29tn £ billion, Year ending March 2025

Everything the public sector spent in the financial year, in cash terms: expenditure on services plus the accounting adjustments that reconcile it to the national accounts.

Total managed expenditure: Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2025LabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour05001k20052010201520202025Year ending March 2003: £454bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2004: £495.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2005: £535.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2006: £566.5bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2007: £594bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2008: £631.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2009: £688.4bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2010: £723.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2011: £744.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2012: £745.5bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2013: £760bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2014: £766.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2015: £788.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2016: £795.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2017: £813.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2018: £840.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2019: £857.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2020: £888.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2021: £1.11tn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2022: £1.04tn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2023: £1.16tn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2024: £1.23tn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2025: £1.29tn £ billion · published 17 July 2025
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Spending on social protection: £383.9bn £ billion, Year ending March 2025

Public sector spending on pensions, benefits, social care and other social protection across the UK, in cash terms.

Spending on social protection: Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2025LabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour010020030020052010201520202025Year ending March 2003: £145.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2004: £155.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2005: £164.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2006: £171bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2007: £177bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2008: £188.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2009: £203.4bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2010: £223bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2011: £230.4bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2012: £244.8bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2013: £253.4bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2014: £254.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2015: £261.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2016: £264.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2017: £265.4bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2018: £268.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2019: £274.8bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2020: £275.8bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2021: £299.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2022: £300bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2023: £322bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2024: £364.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2025: £383.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Spending on health: £241.8bn £ billion, Year ending March 2025

Public sector spending on health services across the UK, by function, in cash terms.

Spending on health: Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2025LabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour010020020052010201520202025Year ending March 2003: £66.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2004: £74.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2005: £82.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2006: £89.8bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2007: £94.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2008: £101.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2009: £108.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2010: £116.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2011: £119.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2012: £121.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2013: £124.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2014: £129.4bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2015: £134.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2016: £138.5bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2017: £142.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2018: £147.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2019: £152.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2020: £164.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2021: £218.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2022: £216.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2023: £212.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2024: £222bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2025: £241.8bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Spending on education: £118.7bn £ billion, Year ending March 2025

Public sector spending on education across the UK, including schools, further and higher education, in cash terms.

Spending on education: Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2025LabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour05010020052010201520202025Year ending March 2003: £54.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2004: £61bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2005: £65.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2006: £69.8bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2007: £73bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2008: £78.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2009: £83bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2010: £88.5bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2011: £91.5bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2012: £86.5bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2013: £84.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2014: £84.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2015: £85.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2016: £84.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2017: £84.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2018: £86.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2019: £88.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2020: £90.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2021: £95.5bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2022: £100.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2023: £107.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2024: £114.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2025: £118.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Spending on public sector debt interest: £124.7bn £ billion, Year ending March 2025

Interest paid on public sector debt in the financial year, in cash terms, on the PESA function basis.

Spending on public sector debt interest: Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2025LabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour05010020052010201520202025Year ending March 2003: £30.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2004: £32.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2005: £36.4bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2006: £39bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2007: £42.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2008: £46.4bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2009: £49bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2010: £44.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2011: £57.4bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2012: £60.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2013: £55.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2014: £55.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2015: £53.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2016: £54.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2017: £56.9bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2018: £61.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2019: £56.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2020: £55.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2021: £42.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2022: £72.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2023: £130.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2024: £126.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2025: £124.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Since the current government took office

MetricInheritedLatestChange
Total managed expenditureNot enough comparable periods yet.
Spending on social protectionNot enough comparable periods yet.
Spending on healthNot enough comparable periods yet.
Spending on educationNot enough comparable periods yet.
Spending on public sector debt interestNot enough comparable periods yet.

Changes during a government do not by themselves show what it caused. Method.

What these figures don’t measure

Total managed expenditure: Spending by any one department or nation, or spending in real terms.

Spending on social protection: Spending on any single benefit; DWP's own tables carry that.

Spending on health: NHS England's budget alone, or private health spending.

Spending on education: Spending per pupil, or the effect of the change in how student loans are scored from 2011-12.

Spending on public sector debt interest: The ONS monthly debt interest series, which is on a different accounting basis and includes the effect of RPI on index-linked gilts differently.