HM Treasury PESA
What the UK government spends
In 2025-26, public sector spending on services was £1,227.6bn. Total managed expenditure, which also includes items not allocated to a function, was £1,360.1bn. Public sector debt interest is counted within general public services.
Outturn is money already spent. Plans are amounts set for later years and can change. Receipts are on where UK tax comes from.
Spending on services by function, 2025-26
£bn.
| Function | £bn | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| General public services | £165.5bn | 13.5% |
| Defence | £65.4bn | 5.3% |
| Public order and safety | £55.7bn | 4.5% |
| Economic affairs | £94.0bn | 7.7% |
| Environment protection | £19.2bn | 1.6% |
| Housing and community amenities | £22.5bn | 1.8% |
| Health | £257.5bn | 21.0% |
| Recreation, culture and religion | £15.1bn | 1.2% |
| Education | £125.7bn | 10.2% |
| Social protection | £407.3bn | 33.2% |
HM Treasury · Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA), table 4.2 · Published 16 Jul 2026 · Licence terms · Source data · Methodology · Top-level functions only. EU transactions are shown only when positive.
Total managed expenditure over time
£bn, by financial year. From PESA table 4.2.
HM Treasury · Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA), total managed expenditure · Published 16 Jul 2026 · Licence terms · Source data · Methodology
Departmental budgets (DEL) by department
£bn. Central government spending within departmental expenditure limits.
HM Treasury · PESA table 6.1. Total spent in 2025-26: £489.8bn. · Published 16 Jul 2026 · Licence terms · Source data · Methodology