UK Public Spending
How does the UK government spend over £1 trillion a year? This page brings together departmental spending (who spends it) and functional spending by COFOG classification (what it's spent on) — from HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA 2025).
Context: The total cost of all 42 tracked public inquiries is £1,842m — 26.2% of one year's departmental spending goes on running government; inquiry costs represent less than 0.3% of that.
Spending Trend — Top 8 Departments
Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) in nominal terms, £millions, 2020/21 to 2024/25. Excludes devolved block grants. Not adjusted for inflation.
Source: HM Treasury PESA, Table 4.3 (DEL outturn)
All Departments (2024/25)
Total DEL outturn, £millions. Top 20 departments. >£100bn £30–100bn £10–30bn <£10bn
Source: PESA 2025, Table 4.3
What Is Public Money Spent On?
The UN Classification of Functions of Government (COFOG) categorises all public spending into 10 functions — regardless of which department spends it. PESA 2025, Chapters 4–5. 23-year time series from 2002-03.
Spending by Function — 22-Year Trend
Public sector expenditure on services (£bn). 10 COFOG Level 1 functions, 2002-03 to 2024/25.
Source: PESA 2025, Tables 4.2 & 4.3. Real terms at 2024-25 prices using ONS GDP deflators.
Spending by Function (2024/25)
£bn, nominal. Entire public sector (central + local government).
Source: PESA 2025, Table 4.2
Share of GDP (2024/25)
Each function as a percentage of GDP.
| Function | £bn | % GDP |
|---|---|---|
| Social protection | £383.9bn | 13.3% |
| Health | £241.8bn | 8.4% |
| General public services | £157.6bn | 5.4% |
| Education | £118.7bn | 4.1% |
| Economic affairs | £86.8bn | 3.0% |
| Defence | £63.6bn | 2.2% |
| Public order & safety | £51.4bn | 1.8% |
| Housing & community | £22.3bn | 0.8% |
| Environment | £17.1bn | 0.6% |
| Culture & recreation | £14.5bn | 0.5% |
Who Spends What? Function × Department (2024/25)
How each department's spending maps to COFOG functions. £millions, 2024-25 outturn. Darker cells = larger spend. Excludes devolved governments and local authorities.
| Department | General public services | Social protection | Defence | Public order & safety | Economic affairs | Environment | Housing & community | Health | Culture & recreation | Education | Public sector expenditure on services for each department | of which: agriculture, fisheries and forestry | of which: employment policies | of which: enterprise and economic development | of which: international services | of which: public and common services | of which: public sector debt interest | of which: science and technology | of which: transport | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work and Pensions | 11 | 279,137 | — | — | 3,780 | — | — | — | — | — | 282,927 | — | 3,777 | 4 | — | 11 | — | — | — | £569,647m |
| Local Government | 7,994 | 66,649 | 64 | 21,953 | 14,519 | 8,872 | 7,365 | 4,051 | 5,287 | 57,093 | 193,846 | 485 | — | 2,066 | — | 7,043 | 951 | — | 11,968 | £410,206m |
| Health & Social Care | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 199,724 | — | — | 193,350 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | £386,700m |
| HM Treasury | 126,312 | 5 | — | — | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | 124,967 | — | — | 83 | — | 2,548 | 123,764 | — | — | £377,762m |
| Defence | — | 1,968 | 59,143 | — | — | — | — | — | 28 | — | 61,138 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | £122,277m |
| Education | — | 1,333 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50,982 | 52,315 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | £104,630m |
| Transport | — | 9 | — | 434 | 30,650 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 31,097 | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | 62 | 30,581 | £92,844m |
| Scottish Government | 1,143 | 6,332 | — | 3,848 | 3,401 | 474 | 2,544 | 19,537 | 307 | 2,998 | 40,583 | 740 | — | 692 | — | 1,143 | — | 2 | 1,966 | £85,710m |
| HMRC | 4,750 | 17,858 | — | — | 10,990 | 61 | 234 | — | — | — | 33,893 | — | — | 10,990 | — | 4,750 | — | — | — | £83,526m |
| Northern Ireland | 498 | 11,967 | — | 1,601 | 2,058 | 81 | 888 | 6,954 | 190 | 4,070 | 28,307 | 673 | 124 | 221 | — | 498 | — | 115 | 925 | £59,170m |
| Science & Tech | 510 | — | — | — | 9,733 | 203 | — | 106 | 421 | 2,824 | 13,797 | — | — | 974 | — | 510 | — | 8,758 | — | £37,836m |
| Welsh Government | 493 | 237 | — | 2 | 1,473 | 131 | 1,012 | 11,458 | 105 | 475 | 15,387 | 380 | — | 146 | — | 493 | — | 11 | 936 | £32,739m |
| FCDO | 10,852 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10,889 | — | — | — | 10,359 | 494 | — | — | — | £32,630m |
| Justice | 5 | — | — | 13,873 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13,721 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | £27,447m |
| Energy & Net Zero | 34 | 251 | — | 10 | 3,950 | 5,134 | — | — | — | — | 9,379 | — | — | 3,949 | 34 | — | — | 1 | — | £22,742m |
| Housing & Communities | 758 | 31 | — | — | 20 | — | 9,991 | — | 7 | — | 10,808 | — | — | 20 | — | 758 | — | — | — | £22,393m |
| Culture, Media & Sport | — | 811 | — | — | 61 | 26 | 278 | 6 | 8,176 | — | 9,358 | — | — | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | £18,777m |
| Home Office | — | — | — | 8,679 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8,679 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | £17,358m |
| Environment (Defra) | 161 | — | — | — | 4,108 | 2,155 | 7 | — | — | — | 6,432 | 3,905 | — | — | 140 | 20 | — | 203 | — | £17,131m |
| Cabinet Office | 1,443 | 2,562 | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | 4,022 | — | 17 | — | — | 1,443 | — | — | — | £9,504m |
Source: PESA 2025, Table 5.1
Full Department Table (2024/25)
All 24 departments, sorted by total DEL. Nominal £millions. Per-person figures based on UK population of 67.6m (ONS mid-2023).
| Department | Total DEL | Per person | Trend | 5yr change | Admin | Programme | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | £204,704m | £3,028 | +7.4% | £2,553m | £201,491m | £660m | |
| Department for Education | £94,790m | £1,402 | +29.6% | £540m | £62,901m | £31,349m | |
| Ministry of Defence | £60,218m | £891 | +42.1% | £2,015m | £58,199m | £4m | |
| Scottish Government | £45,264m | £670 | +2.7% | £0m | £45,264m | — | |
| Department for Transport | £28,419m | £420 | -14.9% | £370m | £28,142m | — | |
| Welsh Government | £20,227m | £299 | -3.0% | £0m | £20,227m | — | |
| Home Office | £20,031m | £296 | +30.5% | £465m | £19,545m | £21m | |
| Northern Ireland Executive | £17,628m | £261 | +6.2% | £0m | £16,814m | £814m | |
| Department for Science Innovation and Technology | £13,692m | £203 | +28.3% | £310m | £13,541m | — | |
| Ministry of Justice | £12,664m | £187 | +31.3% | £547m | £12,103m | £14m | |
| MHCLG - Housing and Communities | £11,999m | £178 | +3.0% | £131m | £3,612m | £8,256m | |
| MHCLG - Local Government | £11,330m | £168 | +11.4% | £0m | £11,330m | — | |
| Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office | £10,949m | £162 | -13.0% | £322m | £9,746m | £881m | |
| Department for Work and Pensions | £9,526m | £141 | +37.2% | £1,005m | £8,280m | £241m | |
| Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs | £7,236m | £107 | +35.8% | £1,026m | £6,205m | £5m | |
| Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | £6,738m | £100 | -35.0% | £397m | £6,369m | — | |
| HM Revenue & Customs | £5,873m | £87 | +16.5% | £1,067m | £4,806m | — | |
| Single Intelligence Account | £4,460m | £66 | +56.6% | £80m | £4,380m | — | |
| Small and Independent Bodies | £3,052m | £45 | +23.1% | £614m | £2,438m | — | |
| Department for Business and Trade | £2,431m | £36 | -89.3% | £439m | £2,264m | — | |
| Department for Culture Media and Sport | £2,062m | £31 | -42.3% | £207m | £768m | £1,087m | |
| HM Treasury | £1,099m | £16 | +221.3% | £328m | £6m | £765m | |
| Attorney General's Office | £944m | £14 | +52.5% | £54m | £889m | £1m | |
| Cabinet Office | £892m | £13 | -39.6% | £502m | £329m | £61m |
Data Notes
- Nominal vs real terms
- Departmental figures are in nominal (cash) terms. The COFOG trend chart offers a real-terms toggle using ONS GDP deflators (2024-25 prices), following IfG/IFS methodology.
- DEL vs AME
- This page shows Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) only — the spending departments control, set at Spending Reviews. It excludes Annually Managed Expenditure (AME), which covers demand-driven costs such as welfare benefits, debt interest, and public sector pensions. Total Managed Expenditure (DEL + AME) was approximately £1,189bn in 2024/25.
- NHS England
- NHS England's budget (£166bn DEL) is shown separately from the Department of Health and Social Care (£24bn DEL). DHSC's figure covers departmental administration, public health, and social care grants. Together they account for the largest area of government spending.
- Devolved block grants
- Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland figures reflect Barnett formula block grant allocations passed through the territorial offices. These are not direct Whitehall spending — they fund the devolved governments, which allocate to their own priorities.
- Department machinery changes
- DSIT and DESNZ were created in February 2023 from the former BEIS. Earlier years show BEIS predecessor figures under "Business and Trade" for continuity. Some series are not directly comparable across all five years.
- Admin, programme, and capital
- Admin covers running costs (civil servant pay, estates, IT). Programme covers the services delivered (school funding, NHS commissioning, grants). Capital covers investment in infrastructure, equipment, and assets.
- COFOG classification
- The UN Classification of Functions of Government (COFOG) categorises all public spending by purpose — health, education, defence, etc. — cutting across departmental boundaries. Health spending includes DHSC, NHS England, local authority social care, and devolved health services. The COFOG view shows the full public sector, not just central government DEL.
- Function × Department
- Table 5.1 cross-tabulates departmental spending against COFOG functions for the latest year. Some departments (e.g. Home Office) map almost entirely to one function (public order & safety), while others (e.g. Scottish Government) spread across many.
Source: HM Treasury, Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) , Table 4.3 DEL outturn. GDP: ONS. Population: ONS mid-2023 estimate (67.6m).
Data curated from annual PESA publications. 24 departments, 5 financial years (2020/21 to 2024/25). COFOG spending: 23 years (2002-03 to 2024/25). Updated on each deploy. Last PESA publication: July 2025.