About this data

Source: Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), Public finances databank, October 2026 (Public finances since 1900)

• Public spending is total managed expenditure (TME): all spending by central government, local government and public corporations, including investment, benefits and debt interest.
• Receipts are taxes plus other income, such as interest and dividends. Borrowing (public sector net borrowing) is spending minus receipts, so the gap between the lines shows it.
• Before 1946-47, OBR uses the Bank of England's 'A millennium of macroeconomic data' for GDP, spending and receipts.
• Figures are outturn only. OBR forecasts spending of 44.6% of GDP in 2026-27.

This chart appears in Public spending.