Where the money goes
The Spending
Every pound of tax collected is spent on something. This is what it is actually spent on, broken down, sourced, and compared against the things people tend to worry about most.
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2024–25
Total managed expenditure: loading...
Spending by function (click to drill down)
100%
Total spending
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Breakdown: amounts and percentages
How spending has shifted: 1970 to 2025 (% of total)
Source: PESA Table 4.2 (1998–2025); ukpublicspending.co.uk / CSO National Income & Expenditure (1970–1997). All years % of Total Managed Expenditure.
Things people worry about
Some spending lines generate far more political heat than their actual
size warrants. Here is what they actually cost, as a share of total spending.
Sources: Home Office (asylum accommodation); FCDO (overseas aid); DWP (benefits fraud estimate);
OBR (debt interest); DWP (state pension); PESA (NHS, education, defence).
All figures 2024–25 unless noted.