Subnational government expenditure in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Subnational government expenditure was 46.26 Percentage of GDP in 2024. ▲ Rising
Subnational government expenditure in United Kingdom, 2000–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for subnational government expenditure in United Kingdom is 46.26 Percentage of GDP, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, subnational government expenditure in United Kingdom peaked at 51.76 Percentage of GDP in 2020 and was at its lowest, 35 Percentage of GDP, in 2000.
United Kingdom ranks 16th of 36 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Subnational government expenditure in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 35 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 2001 | 35.99 Percentage of GDP | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 37.44 Percentage of GDP | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 38.67 Percentage of GDP | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 39.92 Percentage of GDP | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 41.09 Percentage of GDP | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 40.69 Percentage of GDP | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 40.91 Percentage of GDP | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 44.07 Percentage of GDP | +7.7% |
| 2009 | 46.94 Percentage of GDP | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 47.13 Percentage of GDP | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 45.59 Percentage of GDP | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 45.35 Percentage of GDP | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 43.62 Percentage of GDP | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 42.82 Percentage of GDP | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 42.14 Percentage of GDP | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 41.34 Percentage of GDP | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 40.89 Percentage of GDP | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 40.55 Percentage of GDP | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 40.51 Percentage of GDP | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 51.76 Percentage of GDP | +27.8% |
| 2021 | 47.41 Percentage of GDP | -8.4% |
| 2022 | 45.55 Percentage of GDP | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 46.54 Percentage of GDP | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 46.26 Percentage of GDP | -0.6% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 46.26 Percentage of GDP is above the median for high income countries, which is 45.47 Percentage of GDP, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 46.26 Percentage of GDP is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 47.14 Percentage of GDP, 98% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Subnational government expenditure in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +27.8% | 40.51 Percentage of GDP | 51.76 Percentage of GDP |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.07 Percentage of GDP | 35 Percentage of GDP | 46.94 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 43 Percentage of GDP | 40.51 Percentage of GDP | 47.13 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.5 Percentage of GDP | 45.55 Percentage of GDP | 51.76 Percentage of GDP | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More public sector data for United Kingdom
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
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- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is subnational government expenditure in United Kingdom?
- Subnational government expenditure in United Kingdom was 46.26 Percentage of GDP in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest subnational government expenditure recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 51.76 Percentage of GDP in 2020.
- What is the lowest subnational government expenditure recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 35 Percentage of GDP in 2000.
- How does United Kingdom rank for subnational government expenditure?
- United Kingdom ranks 16th out of 36 countries with data for 2024.
- Is subnational government expenditure rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Subnational government expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
This dataset includes subnational government expenditure expressed in several units of measures: USD PPP, USD PPP per capita, percentage of GDP, and percentage of total public expenditure. The Subnational Government Structure and Finance Dashboard compiles several datasets with comparable data on institutional organisation and public finance at subnational government level. It provides data for the time period 2000 - 2024 (based on data availability), for all 38 OECD member countries, and the average for the European Union. It includes data for the subnational government sector, for both state and local government levels for some federal countries. The data for the latest year available is also available in PDF format and via an Interactive dashboard.