About this data

Source: HM Treasury, Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2026, Tables 4.3 and 4.4

• Spending is 'public sector expenditure on services' as classified by HM Treasury, using the UN's Classification of the Functions of Government (COFOG). It covers about 90% of total managed expenditure; the rest is accounting adjustments (such as depreciation and some pension and tax-credit adjustments) that aren't allocated to a function.
• Social protection includes pensions, other benefits such as Universal Credit and disability benefits, and social care.
• Debt interest is all 'public debt transactions': central, local government and public corporation debt interest, the Bank of England's net costs, and the interest on public service pension schemes' liabilities. It is taken out of 'general public services', and transport out of 'economic affairs'.
• 'Everything else' is general public services (apart from debt interest), economic affairs (apart from transport), housing and community amenities, environment protection, recreation and culture, and EU transactions. It jumped in 2020-21 with COVID-19 support for businesses and jobs, such as the furlough scheme, and in 2022-23 with energy bill support.
• PESA adjusts for inflation with the GDP deflator.

This chart appears in Public spending.