Social contributions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Social contributions was 17.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
17.3%
Change on year
down 7.6%
World rank
50th
of 112 countries
All-time high
22.2%
in 1987
All-time low
15.2%
in 1981
Years of data
53
1972–2024

Social contributions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1972–2024

05101520197219982024

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.

Analysis

In 2024, social contributions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 17.3%.

That represents a change of down 7.6% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, social contributions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 22.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 15.2%, in 1981.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 50th out of 112 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.

Social contributions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Social contributions (% of revenue) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1972 to 2024.
Year % of revenue Change
1972 15.6%
1973 17.0% +8.6%
1974 17.0% -0.1%
1975 17.3% +2.3%
1976 18.6% +7.3%
1977 17.4% -6.4%
1978 17.1% -2.1%
1979 16.2% -4.7%
1980 15.5% -4.7%
1981 15.2% -2.1%
1982 16.3% +7.2%
1983 16.8% +3.6%
1984 16.9% +0.5%
1985 16.7% -1.4%
1986 17.6% +5.3%
1987 22.2% +26.0%
1988 22.0% -0.9%
1989 21.8% -0.8%
1990 20.1% -7.8%
1991 19.8% -1.2%
1992 20.4% +2.7%
1993 21.5% +5.6%
1994 21.0% -2.6%
1995 18.7% -10.9%
1996 18.8% +0.3%
1997 18.2% -2.7%
1998 17.5% -4.1%
1999 17.7% +0.9%
2000 17.4% -1.2%
2001 17.6% +1.2%
2002 17.6% -0.2%
2003 18.4% +4.3%
2004 18.5% +0.9%
2005 18.1% -2.2%
2006 18.4% +1.5%
2007 18.1% -1.9%
2008 18.1% +0.2%
2009 19.2% +6.3%
2010 16.0% -16.8%
2011 18.4% +15.2%
2012 18.3% -0.8%
2013 17.8% -2.5%
2014 18.0% +0.7%
2015 18.1% +0.9%
2016 18.3% +1.2%
2017 18.5% +1.0%
2018 18.6% +0.5%
2019 19.3% +3.7%
2020 20.3% +5.4%
2021 19.5% -3.8%
2022 19.4% -0.9%
2023 18.7% -3.5%
2024 17.3% -7.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 17.0% 15.6% 18.6% 8
1980s 18.1% 15.2% 22.2% 10
1990s 19.4% 17.5% 21.5% 10
2000s 18.2% 17.4% 19.2% 10
2010s 18.1% 16.0% 19.3% 10
2020s 19.0% 17.3% 20.3% 5

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 47 Iran, Islamic Republic of 18.7% compare
  2. 48 Honduras 18.4% compare
  3. 49 Norway 17.8% compare
  4. 51 Azerbaijan 16.1% compare
  5. 52 Ecuador 16.1% compare
  6. 53 Israel 16.0% compare

See the full ranking of 134 places →

More public sector data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is social contributions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Social contributions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 17.3% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest social contributions recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 22.2% in 1987.
What is the lowest social contributions recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 15.2% in 1981.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for social contributions?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 50th out of 112 countries with data for 2024.
Is social contributions rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Social contributions (% of revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Social contributions in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/social-contributions-percent-of-revenue/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Social contributions (% of revenue)
Unit
% of revenue
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
134 places, 3,931 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Social contributions are actual or imputed contributions payable to social insurance schemes to make provisions for social benefits to be paid. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.