Expense in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Expense was 41.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Expense in United Kingdom, 1972–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, expense in United Kingdom stood at 41.2%.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expense in United Kingdom peaked at 47.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 28.8%, in 1973.
That places United Kingdom 15th out of 157 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 33.4% | 28.8% | 36.5% | 8 |
| 1980s | 34.9% | 29.7% | 37.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.4% | 32.6% | 37.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.6% | 34.0% | 43.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.4% | 36.4% | 43.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.1% | 40.7% | 47.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 12 Slovenia 42.9% compare
- 13 Hungary 42.4% compare
- 14 Luxembourg 42.2% compare
- 16 San Marino 40.5% compare
- 17 Lesotho 40.2% compare
- 18 Netherlands 40.0% compare
More economy & growth data for United Kingdom
- DEC alternative conversion factor 0.7595 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -17.71 billion current LCU (2024)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -22.63 billion current US$ (2024)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 297.09 billion current LCU (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 391.17 billion current US$ (2025)
- Net primary income (Net income from abroad) -20.96 billion current LCU (2024)
- Net primary income (Net income from abroad) -26.79 billion current US$ (2024)
- GNI per capita 43,477 current LCU (2025)
- GNI per capita, Atlas method 54,550 current US$ (2025)
- GNI 3.02 trillion current LCU (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expense in United Kingdom?
- Expense in United Kingdom was 41.2% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest expense recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 47.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest expense recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.8% in 1973.
- How does United Kingdom rank for expense?
- United Kingdom ranks 15th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expense rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Expense (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.