In this section: Public finances
For every £100 of tax
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
Out of every £100 of UK public spending in 2025-26, £33.20 went on social protection, including the state pension, £21.00 on health and £10.60 on debt interest. The shares are of the £1227.6bn spent on services; total managed expenditure was £1360.1bn, the other £132.5bn being accounting adjustments PESA does not assign to any function. Figures are HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses. This is spending, not an allocation of any particular tax: almost no UK tax is earmarked.
Key figures
- £33.20Of every £100 spent goes on social protection, including the state pension up on a year earlier: +£0.13 (+0.4%) vs 2024–25
- £21.00Of every £100 spent goes on health up on a year earlier: +£0.25 (+1.2%) vs 2024–25
- £10.60Of every £100 spent goes on debt interest down on a year earlier: −£0.23 (−2.1%) vs 2024–25
- £1,227.6bnSpent on services, the total the shares divide up on a year earlier: +£59.6bn (+5.1%) vs 2024–25
- £1,360.1bnTotal managed expenditure Includes £132.5bn of accounting adjustments
Where does every £100 go?
The numbers behind this chart
| What it is spent on | Per £100 | Share | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
Social protection, including the state pensionDetails for Social protection, including the state pension | £33.20 | 33.2% | £407.3bn |
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HealthDetails for Health | £21.00 | 21% | £257.5bn |
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Debt interestDetails for Debt interest | £10.60 | 10.6% | £130.3bn |
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EducationDetails for Education | £10.20 | 10.2% | £125.7bn |
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Economic affairs, including transportDetails for Economic affairs, including transport | £7.70 | 7.7% | £94.0bn |
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DefenceDetails for Defence | £5.30 | 5.3% | £65.4bn |
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Public order and safetyDetails for Public order and safety | £4.50 | 4.5% | £55.7bn |
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General public servicesDetails for General public services | £2.90 | 2.9% | £35.2bn |
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Housing and communityDetails for Housing and community | £1.80 | 1.8% | £22.5bn |
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EnvironmentDetails for Environment | £1.60 | 1.6% | £19.2bn |
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Culture, media and sportDetails for Culture, media and sport | £1.20 | 1.2% | £15.1bn |
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Spending on services: the total of the rows aboveDetails for Spending on services: the total of the rows above | £100.00 | 100% | £1227.6bn |
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Accounting adjustments, not assigned to any functionDetails for Accounting adjustments, not assigned to any function | — | — | £132.5bn |
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Total managed expenditureDetails for Total managed expenditure | — | — | £1360.1bn |
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How has it changed?
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Health | Social protection | Education | Defence | Debt interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003-04Details for 2003-04 | 16.6% | 34.5% | 13.5% | 6.4% | 7.2% |
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2006-07Details for 2006-07 | 17.6% | 32.9% | 13.6% | 6.0% | 7.9% |
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2009-10Details for 2009-10 | 17.9% | 34.1% | 13.5% | 5.8% | 6.8% |
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2012-13Details for 2012-13 | 18.4% | 37.6% | 12.5% | 5.4% | 8.3% |
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2015-16Details for 2015-16 | 19.5% | 37.2% | 11.9% | 5.1% | 7.7% |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | 20.0% | 35.9% | 11.5% | 5.3% | 7.4% |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | 22.7% | 31.5% | 10.5% | 5.1% | 7.6% |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | 20.8% | 33.1% | 10.5% | 5.5% | 10.8% |
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2025-26Details for 2025-26 | 21.0% | 33.2% | 10.2% | 5.3% | 10.6% |
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Two things stand out over twenty years. Health has taken a steadily larger share, driven by an ageing population and the cost of treatment. And debt interest has swung sharply: it is the one line that responds to interest rates rather than to any decision about services, which is why it rose so quickly after 2021.
What does this not show?
It is not an allocation of your tax. Almost no UK tax is earmarked: income tax does not pay for the NHS, fuel duty does not pay for roads, and the money is not tracked from a particular tax to a particular service. What this page shows is the proportion in which all public money is spent.
It is also spending, not tax. In most years the government spends more than it raises and borrows the difference, so these shares add to more than the tax on the all UK taxes page.
The two genuine exceptions are set out on their own pages: National Insurance, most of which goes to the National Insurance Fund, and the TV licence, which passes through the Consolidated Fund but is matched pound for pound by a grant to the BBC.
Common questions
- Where does my tax money go?
- Out of every £100 of public spending, £33.20 goes on social protection, including the state pension, £21.00 on health and £10.60 on debt interest. No individual tax is allocated to a service.
- Does income tax pay for the NHS?
- No. Income tax is not earmarked. It goes into the Consolidated Fund with almost every other tax. The only UK taxes with a genuine destination are National Insurance, most of which goes to the National Insurance Fund, and the TV licence, which is matched pound for pound by a grant to the BBC.
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