In this section: Public services
The armed forces: spending, people and commitments
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
£65.4bn was spent on defence in Defence, United Kingdom in 2025-26, £941 per resident. That is −0.8% on a year earlier after inflation (+2.7% in cash). In 2025-26 prices it has gone from £48.8bn in 1955-56 to £65.4bn. On NATO’s measure the UK spends 2.56% of GDP on core defence (2026, NATO estimate). 137,482 people served in the regular forces on 1 July 2026.
Figure as of 16 July 2026. Source: HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury, Office for Budget Responsibility.
Key figures
- £65.4bnSpent in 2025-26, cash +2.7% on a year earlier
- −0.8%Real-terms change, 2025-26 on a year earlier £65.4bn in 2025-26 prices
- £941Per resident, 2025-26
- 2.56%Of GDP on core defence, NATO measure, 2026 (estimate)
- 137,482UK regular forces, 1 July 2026
Sources: HM Treasury, Office for Budget Responsibility, NATO, Ministry of Defence.
What is the short version?
- Three measures of defence spending: HM Treasury’s by function, the MOD’s own budget, and NATO’s core defence, which the commitments use. They are shown apart.
- Defence is spent for the UK as a whole, so there is no nation or local breakdown.
- The last Equipment Plan was unaffordable by £16.9bn; its replacement has no affordability table yet.
Over the longest run published: cash, real terms and per head
Real terms use HM Treasury’s GDP deflator, 2025-26 prices. Breaks in the series: 1988-89: Before 1988-89 the UK series is the OBR’s historical defence figure; from 1988-89 it is HM Treasury’s PESA. 2011-12: The MOD’s spending categories start in 2011-12; war pensions and the DE&S trading entity were classified differently before 2015-16.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Cash |
|---|---|---|
1955-56Details for 1955-56 | £48.8bn | £1.5bn |
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1956-57Details for 1956-57 | £47.8bn | £1.6bn |
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1957-58Details for 1957-58 | £44.9bn | £1.5bn |
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1958-59Details for 1958-59 | £42.7bn | £1.5bn |
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1959-60Details for 1959-60 | £43.6bn | £1.5bn |
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1960-61Details for 1960-61 | £44.4bn | £1.6bn |
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1961-62Details for 1961-62 | £45.4bn | £1.7bn |
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1962-63Details for 1962-63 | £46.5bn | £1.8bn |
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1963-64Details for 1963-64 | £47.3bn | £1.8bn |
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1964-65Details for 1964-65 | £47.6bn | £1.9bn |
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1965-66Details for 1965-66 | £47.7bn | £2.0bn |
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1966-67Details for 1966-67 | £48.1bn | £2.2bn |
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1967-68Details for 1967-68 | £50.1bn | £2.3bn |
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1968-69Details for 1968-69 | £47.4bn | £2.3bn |
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1969-70Details for 1969-70 | £43.0bn | £2.2bn |
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1970-71Details for 1970-71 | £42.5bn | £2.4bn |
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1971-72Details for 1971-72 | £44.1bn | £2.7bn |
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1972-73Details for 1972-73 | £45.4bn | £3.0bn |
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1973-74Details for 1973-74 | £47.8bn | £3.5bn |
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1974-75Details for 1974-75 | £47.8bn | £4.2bn |
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1975-76Details for 1975-76 | £47.8bn | £5.2bn |
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1976-77Details for 1976-77 | £49.3bn | £6.1bn |
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1977-78Details for 1977-78 | £47.9bn | £6.7bn |
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1978-79Details for 1978-79 | £49.1bn | £7.7bn |
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1979-80Details for 1979-80 | £51.9bn | £9.5bn |
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1980-81Details for 1980-81 | £53.3bn | £11.6bn |
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1981-82Details for 1981-82 | £53.7bn | £12.9bn |
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1982-83Details for 1982-83 | £57.0bn | £14.8bn |
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1983-84Details for 1983-84 | £58.6bn | £15.9bn |
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1984-85Details for 1984-85 | £61.3bn | £17.6bn |
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1985-86Details for 1985-86 | £60.8bn | £18.4bn |
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1986-87Details for 1986-87 | £59.1bn | £18.6bn |
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1987-88Details for 1987-88 | £57.4bn | £19.1bn |
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1988-89Details for 1988-89 | £54.5bn | £19.4bn |
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1989-90Details for 1989-90 | £54.6bn | £21.0bn |
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1990-91Details for 1990-91 | £52.8bn | £22.0bn |
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1991-92Details for 1991-92 | £52.5bn | £23.2bn |
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1992-93Details for 1992-93 | £52.4bn | £23.8bn |
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1993-94Details for 1993-94 | £50.3bn | £23.5bn |
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1994-95Details for 1994-95 | £49.1bn | £23.3bn |
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1995-96Details for 1995-96 | £46.0bn | £22.5bn |
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1996-97Details for 1996-97 | £43.7bn | £22.1bn |
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1997-98Details for 1997-98 | £42.8bn | £21.7bn |
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1998-99Details for 1998-99 | £47.6bn | £24.5bn |
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1999-00Details for 1999-00 | £48.2bn | £25.1bn |
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2000-01Details for 2000-01 | £48.9bn | £25.7bn |
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2001-02Details for 2001-02 | £47.4bn | £25.4bn |
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2002-03Details for 2002-03 | £49.4bn | £27.0bn |
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2003-04Details for 2003-04 | £51.4bn | £28.8bn |
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2004-05Details for 2004-05 | £51.6bn | £29.8bn |
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2005-06Details for 2005-06 | £52.3bn | £31.0bn |
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2006-07Details for 2006-07 | £52.7bn | £32.2bn |
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2007-08Details for 2007-08 | £54.1bn | £33.7bn |
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2008-09Details for 2008-09 | £57.0bn | £36.8bn |
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2009-10Details for 2009-10 | £57.6bn | £37.7bn |
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2010-11Details for 2010-11 | £59.0bn | £39.3bn |
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2011-12Details for 2011-12 | £56.9bn | £38.7bn |
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2012-13Details for 2012-13 | £52.5bn | £36.3bn |
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2013-14Details for 2013-14 | £51.6bn | £36.4bn |
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2014-15Details for 2014-15 | £51.3bn | £36.7bn |
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2015-16Details for 2015-16 | £50.8bn | £36.6bn |
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2016-17Details for 2016-17 | £50.5bn | £37.1bn |
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2017-18Details for 2017-18 | £52.0bn | £38.7bn |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | £52.8bn | £40.2bn |
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2019-20Details for 2019-20 | £54.0bn | £42.2bn |
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2020-21Details for 2020-21 | £54.2bn | £44.6bn |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | £59.1bn | £48.7bn |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | £62.9bn | £55.5bn |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | £61.1bn | £56.8bn |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £65.9bn | £63.7bn |
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2025-26Details for 2025-26 | £65.4bn | £65.4bn |
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Figure as of 16 July 2026. Source: HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury, Office for Budget Responsibility.
Per resident divides by ONS mid-year population estimates.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Per resident, 2025-26 prices | Per resident, cash |
|---|---|---|
1971-72Details for 1971-72 | £789 | £48 |
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1972-73Details for 1972-73 | £810 | £54 |
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1973-74Details for 1973-74 | £851 | £62 |
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1974-75Details for 1974-75 | £849 | £74 |
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1975-76Details for 1975-76 | £851 | £92 |
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1976-77Details for 1976-77 | £877 | £109 |
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1977-78Details for 1977-78 | £853 | £120 |
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1978-79Details for 1978-79 | £873 | £137 |
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1979-80Details for 1979-80 | £923 | £169 |
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1980-81Details for 1980-81 | £947 | £206 |
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1981-82Details for 1981-82 | £953 | £230 |
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1982-83Details for 1982-83 | £1,013 | £262 |
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1983-84Details for 1983-84 | £1,040 | £282 |
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1984-85Details for 1984-85 | £1,087 | £312 |
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1985-86Details for 1985-86 | £1,075 | £325 |
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1986-87Details for 1986-87 | £1,042 | £328 |
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1987-88Details for 1987-88 | £1,010 | £336 |
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1988-89Details for 1988-89 | £958 | £341 |
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1989-90Details for 1989-90 | £957 | £368 |
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1990-91Details for 1990-91 | £922 | £384 |
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1991-92Details for 1991-92 | £914 | £404 |
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1992-93Details for 1992-93 | £911 | £413 |
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1993-94Details for 1993-94 | £872 | £407 |
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1994-95Details for 1994-95 | £849 | £403 |
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1995-96Details for 1995-96 | £792 | £388 |
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1996-97Details for 1996-97 | £751 | £380 |
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1997-98Details for 1997-98 | £733 | £372 |
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1998-99Details for 1998-99 | £814 | £419 |
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1999-00Details for 1999-00 | £821 | £428 |
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2000-01Details for 2000-01 | £830 | £436 |
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2001-02Details for 2001-02 | £802 | £430 |
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2002-03Details for 2002-03 | £831 | £455 |
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2003-04Details for 2003-04 | £862 | £483 |
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2004-05Details for 2004-05 | £861 | £497 |
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2005-06Details for 2005-06 | £865 | £513 |
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2006-07Details for 2006-07 | £867 | £529 |
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2007-08Details for 2007-08 | £882 | £550 |
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2008-09Details for 2008-09 | £921 | £595 |
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2009-10Details for 2009-10 | £925 | £606 |
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2010-11Details for 2010-11 | £941 | £626 |
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2011-12Details for 2011-12 | £900 | £612 |
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2012-13Details for 2012-13 | £824 | £570 |
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2013-14Details for 2013-14 | £804 | £568 |
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2014-15Details for 2014-15 | £793 | £568 |
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2015-16Details for 2015-16 | £780 | £562 |
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2016-17Details for 2016-17 | £769 | £566 |
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2017-18Details for 2017-18 | £788 | £587 |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | £796 | £606 |
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2019-20Details for 2019-20 | £810 | £633 |
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2020-21Details for 2020-21 | £812 | £668 |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | £882 | £727 |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | £930 | £821 |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | £892 | £829 |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £951 | £919 |
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2025-26Details for 2025-26 | £941 | £941 |
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Figure as of 16 July 2026. Source: HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury, Office for Budget Responsibility.
Source: HM Treasury, PESA 2026: chapters 4 and 5 tables, published 16 July 2026; HM Treasury, PESA 2021: chapter 4 and 5 tables; HM Treasury, PESA 2016: chapter 4 and 5 tables; HM Treasury, PESA 2011: chapter 4 and 5 tables; Office for Budget Responsibility, Historical public finances database.
How many serve
| Service | People |
|---|---|
| Army regulars | 73,657 |
| Naval Service regulars (Royal Navy and Royal Marines) | 32,433 |
| Royal Air Force regulars | 31,392 |
| All UK regular forces | 137,482 |
| Gurkhas | 4,422 |
| Volunteer reserves | 32,134 |
Regular personnel on the first day of each quarter; excludes Gurkhas and reserves. The Ministry of Defence stopped publishing a workforce requirement (target) after April 2021.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Army | Naval Service | Royal Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
2012Details for 2012 | 104,254 | 35,545 | 40,005 |
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2012 JulDetails for 2012 Jul | 103,591 | 35,252 | 39,441 |
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2012 OctDetails for 2012 Oct | 102,758 | 34,684 | 38,495 |
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2013 JanDetails for 2013 Jan | 99,738 | 34,290 | 37,457 |
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2013Details for 2013 | 99,726 | 33,959 | 37,027 |
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2013 JulDetails for 2013 Jul | 98,027 | 33,683 | 36,368 |
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2013 OctDetails for 2013 Oct | 97,028 | 33,516 | 35,917 |
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2014 JanDetails for 2014 Jan | 91,798 | 33,337 | 35,515 |
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2014Details for 2014 | 91,066 | 33,334 | 35,227 |
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2014 JulDetails for 2014 Jul | 89,476 | 33,079 | 34,939 |
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2014 OctDetails for 2014 Oct | 89,203 | 32,902 | 34,522 |
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2015 JanDetails for 2015 Jan | 87,140 | 32,880 | 34,195 |
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2015Details for 2015 | 87,058 | 32,739 | 33,927 |
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2015 JulDetails for 2015 Jul | 86,064 | 32,593 | 33,723 |
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2015 OctDetails for 2015 Oct | 86,085 | 32,483 | 33,585 |
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2016 JanDetails for 2016 Jan | 84,963 | 32,398 | 33,542 |
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2016Details for 2016 | 85,038 | 32,502 | 33,456 |
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2016 JulDetails for 2016 Jul | 84,328 | 32,529 | 33,363 |
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2016 OctDetails for 2016 Oct | 84,488 | 32,495 | 33,267 |
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2017 JanDetails for 2017 Jan | 83,607 | 32,437 | 33,232 |
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2017Details for 2017 | 83,561 | 32,544 | 33,261 |
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2017 JulDetails for 2017 Jul | 82,611 | 32,458 | 33,006 |
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2017 OctDetails for 2017 Oct | 82,207 | 32,427 | 32,891 |
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2018 JanDetails for 2018 Jan | 81,709 | 32,446 | 32,878 |
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2018Details for 2018 | 81,116 | 32,483 | 32,957 |
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2018 JulDetails for 2018 Jul | 79,896 | 32,384 | 32,848 |
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2018 OctDetails for 2018 Oct | 79,644 | 32,538 | 32,716 |
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2019 JanDetails for 2019 Jan | 78,358 | 32,379 | 32,690 |
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2019Details for 2019 | 79,029 | 32,537 | 32,862 |
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2019 JulDetails for 2019 Jul | 78,481 | 32,469 | 32,832 |
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2019 OctDetails for 2019 Oct | 79,330 | 32,600 | 32,723 |
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2020 JanDetails for 2020 Jan | 78,619 | 32,640 | 32,769 |
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2020Details for 2020 | 79,624 | 32,755 | 32,938 |
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2020 JulDetails for 2020 Jul | 78,876 | 33,050 | 32,820 |
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2020 OctDetails for 2020 Oct | 80,040 | 33,384 | 32,907 |
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2021 JanDetails for 2021 Jan | 80,811 | 33,523 | 32,918 |
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2021Details for 2021 | 82,231 | 33,848 | 33,201 |
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2021 JulDetails for 2021 Jul | 81,816 | 34,045 | 33,371 |
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2021 OctDetails for 2021 Oct | 82,040 | 34,127 | 33,378 |
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2022 JanDetails for 2022 Jan | 80,976 | 33,915 | 33,325 |
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2022Details for 2022 | 80,730 | 33,929 | 33,319 |
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2022 JulDetails for 2022 Jul | 79,377 | 33,751 | 33,143 |
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2022 OctDetails for 2022 Oct | 79,139 | 33,388 | 32,739 |
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2023 JanDetails for 2023 Jan | 78,059 | 33,009 | 32,490 |
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2023Details for 2023 | 77,536 | 32,840 | 32,180 |
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2023 JulDetails for 2023 Jul | 76,225 | 32,363 | 31,714 |
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2023 OctDetails for 2023 Oct | 75,983 | 32,131 | 31,378 |
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2024 JanDetails for 2024 Jan | 75,166 | 31,906 | 31,025 |
| |||
2024Details for 2024 | 75,325 | 32,000 | 30,796 |
| |||
2024 JulDetails for 2024 Jul | 74,296 | 31,672 | 30,557 |
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2024 OctDetails for 2024 Oct | 74,612 | 31,812 | 30,437 |
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2025 JanDetails for 2025 Jan | 73,847 | 31,906 | 30,364 |
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2025Details for 2025 | 74,396 | 32,152 | 30,450 |
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2025 JulDetails for 2025 Jul | 73,490 | 31,993 | 30,547 |
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2025 OctDetails for 2025 Oct | 74,273 | 32,156 | 30,673 |
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2026 JanDetails for 2026 Jan | 73,790 | 32,375 | 30,792 |
| |||
2026Details for 2026 | 74,368 | 32,516 | 31,082 |
| |||
2026 JulDetails for 2026 Jul | 73,657 | 32,433 | 31,392 |
| |||
Figure as of 23 September 2026. Source: Ministry of Defence.
Where the money goes, level by level
- UK total (this level)
- Nation not published
- Department or service body
- Local body not published
- Spending category
- Line or transaction
Defence, United Kingdom
HM Treasury’s spending on defence by function: military and civil defence, foreign military aid and defence research. It is not the NATO measure, which counts pensions and some other items differently.
£65.4bn in 2025-26 (cash); £65.4bn in 2025-26 prices; £941 per resident; +2.7% on a year earlier in cash, −0.8% in real terms.
| Department or service body | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ministry of DefenceDetails for Ministry of Defence | £68.5bn | £70.9bn | £989 | +6.4% | Ministry of Defence | Broken down below |
| ||||||
Ministry of Defence
Total departmental expenditure limits: day-to-day (resource) and capital spending, including depreciation. The categories are the MOD’s own, from 2011-12.
£68.5bn in 2024-25 (cash); £70.9bn in 2025-26 prices; £989 per resident; +10.8% on a year earlier in cash, +6.4% in real terms.
| Spending category | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Personnel CostsDetails for Personnel Costs | £15.8bn | £16.4bn | £229 | +4.7% | Ministry of Defence | Broken down below |
| ||||||
Single Use Military Equipment (capital)Details for Single Use Military Equipment (capital) | £10.7bn | £11.1bn | £154 | +5.0% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Equipment Support CostsDetails for Equipment Support Costs | £9.4bn | £9.7bn | £135 | +8.7% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Other Capital (Fiscal) (capital)Details for Other Capital (Fiscal) (capital) | £8.9bn | £9.2bn | £128 | +27.1% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Depreciation and ImpairmentDetails for Depreciation and Impairment | £8.3bn | £8.6bn | £120 | +0.2% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Infrastructure CostsDetails for Infrastructure Costs | £5.7bn | £5.9bn | £82.58 | +0.8% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Other Costs and ServicesDetails for Other Costs and Services | £3.5bn | £3.6bn | £50.45 | +3.3% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Research and Development Costs (capital)Details for Research and Development Costs (capital) | £3.0bn | £3.1bn | £43.43 | +9.2% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Inventory ConsumptionDetails for Inventory Consumption | £1.7bn | £1.8bn | £24.57 | −5.5% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
DE&S Bespoke Trading EntityDetails for DE S Bespoke Trading Entity | £1.3bn | £1.3bn | £18.24 | −5.5% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
War Pension BenefitsDetails for War Pension Benefits | £654m | £677m | £9.44 | −3.5% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Cash Release of ProvisionsDetails for Cash Release of Provisions | £425m | £440m | £6.13 | −11.0% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Arm's Length BodiesDetails for Arm s Length Bodies | £239m | £247m | £3.45 | +4.8% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Research and Development CostsDetails for Research and Development Costs | £232m | £240m | £3.35 | +23.8% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
DE&S Bespoke Trading Entity (capital)Details for DE S Bespoke Trading Entity (capital) | £207m | £214m | £2.99 | −20.8% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Conflict Stability and Security FundDetails for Conflict Stability and Security Fund | £52m | £54m | £0.75 | −9.1% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Arm's Length Bodies (capital)Details for Arm s Length Bodies (capital) | £41m | £42m | £0.59 | +27.0% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Conflict Stability and Security Fund (capital)Details for Conflict Stability and Security Fund (capital) | £0m | £0m | £0.00 | — | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
New Loans and Loan Repayments (capital)Details for New Loans and Loan Repayments (capital) | −£5m | −£5m | −£0.07 | — | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Fixed Asset/Estate Disposal Costs (capital)Details for Fixed Asset/Estate Disposal Costs (capital) | −£98m | −£101m | −£1.41 | +63.6% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Receipts and Other IncomeDetails for Receipts and Other Income | −£1.5bn | −£1.5bn | −£21.36 | −4.3% | Ministry of Defence | Line or transaction not published: The MOD publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month, but not by these categories, so no finer breakdown is shown here. |
| ||||||
Personnel Costs
£15.8bn in 2024-25 (cash); £16.4bn in 2025-26 prices; £229 per resident; +9.0% on a year earlier in cash, +4.7% in real terms.
| Line or transaction | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Service Personnel CostsDetails for Service Personnel Costs | £13.2bn | £13.6bn | £190 | +6.0% | Ministry of Defence | |
| ||||||
Civilian Personnel CostsDetails for Civilian Personnel Costs | £2.7bn | £2.8bn | £38.42 | −1.1% | Ministry of Defence | |
| ||||||
Cash is as published. Real terms are in 2025-26 prices, using HM Treasury’s GDP deflator. Per resident divides by ONS mid-year population for the area the body serves. Changes compare the same body in consecutive years.
Search the department's payments over £25,000
Every payment of £25,000 or more the department published for the latest year, as published. See every department's spending over £25,000 for what each covers.
Ministry of Defence published 31,171 payments worth £15.17bn to 1,424 suppliers and recipients from April 2025 to March 2026 (12 of 12 months published). Payments the MOD judges would harm national security are left out of its files; it publishes a note on these exemptions.
Gaps and problems in the data, as published (4)
- The newest payment published is from 2026-03, 6 months before this was read.
- 5 rows were dropped because the date or amount could not be read.
- 41% of rows are under £25,000: the department lists individual lines of larger payments, or publishes some smaller ones. They are kept as published.
- 1 payment is dated after the day this was read, which cannot be right; left out.
Searching needs JavaScript. Every payment is in one JSON file.
Source: Ministry of Defence, spending over £25,000 on GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0. 12 files read, newest updated 2026-05-19; every payment kept is in one JSON file.
Every file read (12)
- MOD's spending over £25,000 for March 2026 (2026-03): 3,378 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD's spending over £25,000 for February 2026 (2026-02): 2,206 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD’s spending over £25,000 for January 2026 (2026-01): 2,201 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD’s spending over £25,000 for December 2025 (2025-12): 2,669 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD's spending over £25,000 for November 2025 (2025-11): 2,241 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD's spending over £25,000 for October 2025 (2025-10): 4,944 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD's spending over £25,000 for September 2025 (2025-09): 2,562 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD’s spending over £25,000 for August 2025 (2025-08): 1,936 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD’s spending over £25,000 for July 2025 (2025-07): 2,526 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD’s spending over £25,000 for June 2025 (2025-06): 2,161 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD’s spending over £25,000 for May 2025 (2025-05): 2,163 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
- MOD’s spending over £25,000 for April 2025 (2025-04): 2,185 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
Can the plans be paid for?
The last Equipment Plan, for 2023 to 2033, put forecast costs at £305.5bn against a budget of £288.6bn: a gap of £16.9bn (6%). The National Audit Office found the plan unaffordable: forecast costs exceeded the budget by £16.9bn, the largest gap since it began reporting on the plan in 2012. (National Audit Office, The Equipment Plan 2023 to 2033, 4 December 2023.)
No Equipment Plan has been published since. The Defence Investment Plan (30 June 2026) replaced it and does not include a costs-against-budget table; the National Audit Office has a review of its affordability under way.
| Year | £ billion |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 | £68.3bn |
| 2027-28 | £73.8bn |
| 2028-29 | £76.5bn |
| 2029-30 | £79.1bn |
Planned figures, from Ministry of Defence, the Defence Investment Plan: funding explainer. They are plans, not spending, and are shown apart from the outturn figures on this page.
Major programmes
The Ministry of Defence had 44 projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio at March 2026. 9 were rated red by the independent assessors, meaning successful delivery appeared unachievable without action; 10 amber, 1 green, and 24 had no published rating. Whole-life costs were published for 24, together £95.1bn; the other 20 were withheld, most as commercially sensitive.
| Project | Whole-life cost | Rating |
|---|---|---|
ASTUTE BOATS 1-7Details for ASTUTE BOATS 1-7 | £14.4bn | Not rated |
| ||
NAVAL SUPPORT INTEGRATED GLOBAL NETWORK (NSIGN)Details for NAVAL SUPPORT INTEGRATED GLOBAL NETWORK (NSIGN) | £14.4bn | Not rated |
| ||
ARMOURED CAVALRY 2025Details for ARMOURED CAVALRY 2025 | £8.9bn | Red |
| ||
CORE PRODUCTION CAPABILITYDetails for CORE PRODUCTION CAPABILITY | £7.8bn | Amber |
| ||
LAND ENVIRONMENT TACTICAL COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEMSDetails for LAND ENVIRONMENT TACTICAL COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS | £7.7bn | Amber |
| ||
DEFENCE ESTATE OPTIMISATIONDetails for DEFENCE ESTATE OPTIMISATION | £5.9bn | Not rated |
| ||
MECHANISED INFANTRY PROGRAMMEDetails for MECHANISED INFANTRY PROGRAMME | £5.0bn | Amber |
| ||
MENSADetails for MENSA | £3.6bn | Amber |
| ||
Costs in 2024-25 prices, as the portfolio publishes them. From April 2026 the portfolio was cut to about 80 projects, so next year’s figures will not be comparable. Every major project, across government.
Source: Ministry of Defence, Defence departmental resources: 2025, published 15 January 2026; Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026, published 15 July 2026.
What people say about it
Should defence spending rise faster towards 3% of GDP or beyond?
Those who say defence spending should rise faster or further
Rather than kicking the can down the road, waiting for a fiscal event in a future year, will the Prime Minister urgently commit to charting a pathway to reaching 3% of GDP being spent on defence by 2030?
Tan Dhesi MP (Labour), chair of the Defence Committee, House of Commons (3 September 2026) As quoted by UK Defence Journal (Prime Minister's Questions).That's why we are setting out our plans to reach 3% on defence spending by the end of this Parliament through further cuts to welfare and restoring the two-child benefit cap.
Kemi Badenoch MP, Conservative leader, Conservative Party (2 September 2026) As quoted by LBC.Page one of the Review must include a firm commitment to boost defence spending to 3% of GDP as soon as possible.
Sir Ed Davey MP, Liberal Democrat leader, Liberal Democrats (1 June 2025)
Those who stress affordability, or spending existing money better first
We are going to be in the situation, for the first time in a really long time, where we see both health and defence spending rising as a share of national income.
Bee Boileau, economist, Institute for Fiscal Studies (26 September 2025) As quoted by The Telegraph (via Yahoo News). She also said the £36bn a year needed to reach 3.5% was "not a sum that can be found painlessly".But in the midst of these issues, our report finds that the MoD is far behind the curve in preventing the loss of precious public funds which could be spent on keeping our nation safe.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP (Conservative), chair of the Public Accounts Committee (29 May 2026) He also said the committee welcomes the aim to spend a rising share of GDP on defence; his concern is the delayed Defence Investment Plan and money lost to fraud and cancelled projects.Security is not just based on arms expenditure and threats, but on real leadership that uses diplomacy and development too.
Ellie Chowns MP, Green Party defence spokesperson (2 June 2025)
Views are attributed to the people and organisations named, with the date and a link to where they said it. This site takes no side.
What these figures do and don't show
- Three measures, not one. HM Treasury’s spending on defence (the long-run chart), the MOD’s departmental limits (the drill-down) and NATO’s core defence spending (the share of GDP) count different things and do not match.
- Pensions are counted differently. HM Treasury puts armed forces and war pensions under social protection; NATO counts them in defence.
- Plans are not spending. The Defence Investment Plan budget and the commitments are shown as plans, apart from outturn.
- Headcount is not capability. Numbers serving say nothing on their own about readiness or equipment.
Figures from data/services/defence.json, generated 29 September 2026.
Use this data
The figures belong to the bodies that published them and are used under their terms, listed in Sources for this page; most are Crown copyright under the Open Government Licence. Only our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, published under CC BY 4.0: reuse them, including commercially, if you credit Tekstak Ltd and link back to this page.
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Sources for this page
| Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PESA 2026: chapters 4 and 5 tables | HM Treasury | 16 July 2026 | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| PESA 2021: chapter 4 and 5 tables | HM Treasury | — | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| PESA 2016: chapter 4 and 5 tables | HM Treasury | — | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| PESA 2011: chapter 4 and 5 tables | HM Treasury | — | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Historical public finances database | Office for Budget Responsibility | — | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Defence expenditure of NATO countries (2026 release): tables | NATO | — | annual | Quoted with attribution (the publisher’s own terms) link only |
| Quarterly service personnel statistics, 1 July 2026 | Ministry of Defence | 23 September 2026 | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under CC BY 4.0.