UK Public Finances Explorer

Sources

Every figure on this site is meant to trace back to an official source. These are the sources this project is built to use.

ONS — Public sector finances

Office for National Statistics

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

Updated: Monthly. official

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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

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UK Debt Management Office

DMO

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

Updated: Ongoing. official

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HM Treasury — Public spending statistics

HM Treasury

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

Updated: Annual, with in-year updates. official

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ONS — Population estimates

Office for National Statistics

UK population, used for per-person figures.

Updated: Annual. official

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IMF — World Economic Outlook database

International Monetary Fund

Consistent international debt and deficit comparisons.

Updated: Twice yearly. official

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Bank of England — A millennium of macroeconomic data

Bank of England

Long-run historical series for the timeline.

Updated: Occasional. official

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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 (e.g. debt per person).