UK Public Finances Explorer

During your lifetime

Enter the year you were born to see how UK debt has changed since, and what was happening along the way.

Any year from 1900 to 2026.

Results also update as you type.

Reading this fairly

Changes in debt reflect economic cycles, wars, crises, policy choices, inflation, and changes in measurement. The figure for your birth year comes from the nearest data points either side, so treat it as illustrative.