Government Finances
Track UK public debt, borrowing, investment, tax and fiscal pressure using official public finance data.
Net Debt (% GDP)
Net Borrowing
Tax Receipts
Debt Interest
Net Investment
Public sector net debt is the total stock of government borrowing - how much the government owes in total. It is expressed as a percentage of GDP to show the size of the debt relative to the economy.
Public sector net borrowing is the flow of new borrowing each month - how much the government spends beyond its income. Positive values mean the government spent more than it received (deficit); negative values mean it received more than it spent (surplus).
In simple terms: debt is the total outstanding balance; borrowing is how much gets added (or subtracted) each month.
Public Finances Overview
Public sector net debt excluding public sector banks as a percentage of GDP.
Monthly public sector net borrowing excluding public sector banks (£ million).
Expressing debt as a percentage of GDP puts it in context. A country with a larger economy can sustain more debt. A debt of £2 trillion is more significant for a £2 trillion economy than for a £4 trillion economy.
Economists and policymakers often focus on whether debt-to-GDP is rising or falling, rather than the absolute debt level. Sustained rises may indicate fiscal stress; falls suggest the economy is growing faster than borrowing.
Tax, Investment, and Debt Interest
Central government total current receipts (£ million).
Interest and dividends paid to private sector and rest of world (£ million).
Public sector net investment excluding banks (£ million). Negative = spending on investment.
Public sector current budget deficit excluding banks (£ million). Positive = deficit, negative = surplus.
Government Pressure Indicators
These charts use existing public finance series to show how debt interest and investment relate to overall government finances.
Shows the percentage of tax receipts absorbed by debt interest payments. Higher values indicate greater fiscal pressure.
Compare net borrowing with net investment. Negative investment values reflect the sign convention in official source data (negative = spending on investment).
Planned Indicators
These indicators will be added when their source series are verified.
Tax receipts as a percentage of GDP
OBR public finances databank (source not yet verified)
PlannedSource: Office for National Statistics (ONS) Public Sector Finances (PUSF) dataset.
Net Debt (HF6X): Public sector net debt excluding public sector banks, expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is the standard measure used in fiscal policy discussions.
Net Borrowing (DZLS): Public sector net borrowing excluding public sector banks, in £ million. This measures the difference between government spending and income each month. January typically shows negative values (surplus) due to tax receipts.
Data is updated monthly, typically around the 20th of each month for the previous month.