Sources

Every figure on this site traces back to an official source. These are the sources.

About these figures

I refreshed the headline, monthly and indicator figures on 21 August 2026 against the ONS July 2026 public sector finances release. Inflation and unemployment come from the July and August 2026 ONS bulletins. The wider figure set had its last full re-audit against primary sources (ONS, OBR, HMRC, HM Treasury, House of Commons Library, IMF and DWP) on 21 July 2026, when the international comparison came straight from the IMF DataMapper. Each figure carries its own source, date and confidence level on the page. Three caveats are worth knowing. The long-run historical timeline before about 2010 is a best-estimate reconstruction, marked 'estimated'. The UK adults (18+) figure uses the mid-2024 age breakdown, one vintage behind the population estimate, because the UK-wide mid-2025 breakdown is still unpublished. The GDP figure is the denominator consistent with the published debt-to-GDP ratio, not a single published release. See docs/UPDATING-DATA.md for the refresh process.

ONS: Public sector finances

Office for National Statistics

Net debt, borrowing, debt interest, monthly public finances. The headline UK measures.

Updated: Monthly. official

Visit source: ONS: Public sector finances

OBR: Public finances databank and forecasts

Office for Budget Responsibility

Long-run public finance series and official forecasts to compare outturn against.

Updated: At fiscal events and on release. official

Visit source: OBR: Public finances databank and forecasts

UK Debt Management Office

DMO

Gilt issuance, the stock of gilts, and who holds UK government debt.

Updated: Ongoing. official

Visit source: UK Debt Management Office

HM Treasury: Public spending statistics

HM Treasury

Spending by function (health, education, defence, welfare).

Updated: Annual, with in-year updates. official

Visit source: HM Treasury: Public spending statistics

ONS: Population estimates

Office for National Statistics

UK population, used for per-person figures.

Updated: Annual. official

Visit source: ONS: Population estimates

IMF: World Economic Outlook database

International Monetary Fund

Consistent international debt and deficit comparisons.

Updated: Twice yearly. official

Visit source: IMF: World Economic Outlook database

Bank of England: A millennium of macroeconomic data

Bank of England

Long-run historical series for the timeline.

Updated: Occasional. official

Visit source: Bank of England: A millennium of macroeconomic data

House of Commons Library: What are government debt and debt interest?

House of Commons Library

Secondary analysis rather than a primary statistical release: plain-English context on debt, debt interest and borrowing costs, including the market gilt yields this site does not publish itself.

Updated: Revised periodically. official

Visit source: House of Commons Library: What are government debt and debt interest?

Confidence levels

official: Taken directly from an official published release.
provisional: Official but flagged by the publisher as subject to revision.
estimated: An estimate, interpolation, or nowcast, not a published official figure.
calculated: Derived by this site from other figures, such as debt per person.