Debt in context
Trillions and billions are hard to picture. Here we put the debt (and the interest paid on it each year) next to things the government spends on annually, just to show the scale.
A year of debt interest is £110 billion
Servicing the debt costs about £110 billion a year. Compared with what the government spends on each of these in a year:
About 50% of the NHS / health budget (£222 bn a year)
About 87% of the Education budget (£126 bn a year)
About 1.8× the Defence budget (£62 bn a year)
About 75% of the State pension budget (£146 bn a year)
About 33% of the Welfare and social protection (total) budget (£334 bn a year)
About 10% of annual central government receipts (£1,122 bn a year)
The whole debt is £2.99 trillion
That total has built up over many years. Next to a single year of each budget, it is:
About 13.5× a year's spending on NHS / health (£222 bn a year)
About 23.7× a year's spending on Education (£126 bn a year)
About 48.2× a year's spending on Defence (£62 bn a year)
About 20.5× a year's spending on State pension (£146 bn a year)
About 9× a year's spending on Welfare and social protection (total) (£334 bn a year)
About 2.7× a year's central government receipts (£1,122 bn a year)
Spending figures: HM Treasury and related departmental sources, fiscal year 2025-26. Retrieved 22 July 2026. estimated
Show the figures as a table
| Spending area | Per year | Interest is | Debt is |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS / health | £222 bn | 50% | 13.5× |
| Education | £126 bn | 87% | 23.7× |
| Defence | £62 bn | 177% | 48.2× |
| State pension | £146 bn | 75% | 20.5× |
| Welfare and social protection (total) | £334 bn | 33% | 9× |
| Central government receipts | £1,122 bn | 10% | 2.7× |