HM Treasury · Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2026, chapter 4: expenditure by function
Spending on social protection, real terms
£407.3bnbillion, 2024-25 prices
Spending on social protection, real terms was £407.3bn in the year ending March 2026, up 1.9% (£7.7bn) from £399.6bn in the year ending March 2025.
▲ 1.9% · +£7.7bn against Year ending March 2025 (previous period)
- HM Treasury count
- Year ending March 2026
- published 2 September 2026
- Table 4.3
- row “10. Social protection”
- column “2025-26”
- cell value 407.3
Year ending March 2026 is the highest figure in the published series: £407.3bn. Rule: highest of the 24 periods published here (Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2026).
Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2026
What this measures
Public sector spending on social protection in real terms, at 2024-25 prices.
What this doesn’t measure
Spending as a share of GDP, or spending in cash terms.
Important caveat
PESA classifies spending by function using the UN COFOG framework, so "health" is every public body's spending on health services, not the Department of Health's budget, and "defence" follows COFOG rather than the NATO definition. Figures are outturn for the whole public sector including local government and public corporations. Cash figures rise with inflation; the real-terms table restates them at 2024-25 prices with the GDP deflator. Classification changes are footnoted in the table: student loans from 2011-12, Network Rail from 2011-12 and the treatment of EU transactions after 2020. Total managed expenditure includes accounting adjustments that are not allocated to any function.
Revision history
| Period | First published | Current | Revision | Releases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ending March 2025 | £383.9bn | £399.6bn | +£15.7bn (+4.1%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2024 | £379.5bn | £393.1bn | +£13.6bn (+3.6%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2023 | £354.7bn | £365.1bn | +£10.4bn (+2.9%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2022 | £353.9bn | £364.2bn | +£10.3bn (+2.9%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2021 | £351bn | £363.9bn | +£12.9bn (+3.7%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2020 | £340.8bn | £352.8bn | +£12bn (+3.5%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2019 | £347.6bn | £360.8bn | +£13.2bn (+3.8%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2018 | £347bn | £360.8bn | +£13.8bn (+4.0%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2017 | £348.2bn | £360.9bn | +£12.7bn (+3.6%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2016 | £355.3bn | £367.5bn | +£12.2bn (+3.4%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2015 | £352.8bn | £364.7bn | +£11.9bn (+3.4%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2014 | £347.6bn | £360.1bn | +£12.5bn (+3.6%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2013 | £353.2bn | £366.4bn | +£13.2bn (+3.7%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2012 | £347.5bn | £360.1bn | +£12.6bn (+3.6%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2011 | £332.8bn | £346.2bn | +£13.4bn (+4.0%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2010 | £328.2bn | £340.8bn | +£12.6bn (+3.8%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2009 | £303.4bn | £314.8bn | +£11.4bn (+3.8%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2008 | £291.5bn | £302.8bn | +£11.3bn (+3.9%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2007 | £280.2bn | £289.7bn | +£9.5bn (+3.4%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2006 | £278bn | £288.3bn | +£10.3bn (+3.7%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2005 | £274.1bn | £284.3bn | +£10.2bn (+3.7%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
| Year ending March 2004 | £267.6bn | £277.6bn | +£10bn (+3.7%) | 17 July 2025 → 2 September 2026 |
Source
- Publisher
- HM Treasury
- Publication
- Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2026, chapter 4: expenditure by function
- Release
- 2026-09-02, published 2 September 2026
- Source file
- PESA_2026_CP_Chapter_4_tables.xlsx
- File SHA-256
- 50ae80d95c4e542c34a17dfa8bc302858ca6508b6753e27bb31920cec9bb75c4
- Retrieved
- 4 September 2026
- Sheet
- 4_3
- Table
- Table 4.3
- Row
- 10. Social protection
- Column
- 2025-26
- Cell value
- 407.3
- Geography
- United Kingdom
- Unit
- £ billion, 2024-25 prices
- API
- /api/metrics/spend_social_protection_real · /series · /vintages
Government periods
Change during each government, from the level inherited to the last complete period before it left office. Describes the period; does not attribute cause.
| Labour 2024– | £393.1bnYear ending March 2024 | £407.3bnYear ending March 2026 | ↑ 3.6% |
| Conservative 2019–2024 | £360.8bnYear ending March 2019 | £393.1bnYear ending March 2024 | ↑ 9.0% |
| Conservative 2017–2019 | £360.9bnYear ending March 2017 | £360.8bnYear ending March 2019 | ↓ 0.0% |
| Conservative 2015–2017 | £364.7bnYear ending March 2015 | £360.9bnYear ending March 2017 | ↓ 1.0% |
| Coalition 2010–2015 | £340.8bnYear ending March 2010 | £364.7bnYear ending March 2015 | ↑ 7.0% |
| Labour 2005–2010 | £284.3bnYear ending March 2005 | £340.8bnYear ending March 2010 | ↑ 19.9% |
- Release
- 2026-09-02 · publication page
- Last updated
- 2 September 2026
- Next release expected
- Not yet announced (estimated from the usual cadence)