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Tuesday September 29, 2026

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Analysis

Current
Spending

Spending
Analysis

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What is the cost of UK Government Education?

For the fiscal year ending in March 2027:
Uk education spending is budgeted to be £126.7 billion.

UK National Education Analysis

This page shows the recent trends in UK national education spending.

National
Spending

National
Defence

National
Education

National
Healthcare

National
Pensions

National
Deficit

National
Inflation

National
Revenue

Total

Recent UK Education Spending

Chart S.21t: Recent UK Education Spending

Chart S.22t: Recent UK Educ. Spend as Pct GDP

In 2006 UK education spending was less than £70 billion, and education spending was increasing steadily, year on year, reaching £91.5 billion in 2011. In the rest of the 2010s the education budget remained steady at about £85 billion per year. Since COVID, education spending has increased significantly. For the year ending March 2026 education spending was £125.7 billion.

In terms of Gross Domestic Product UK education spending was 4.7 percent of GDP in 2006, increased as a percent of GDP till the peak year of 2010 when education spending was 5.7 percent of GDP. In the 2010s education spending declined, descending to 4 percent GDP in 2020. For the year ending March 2026 education spending was 4.1 percent GDP.

UK Education Since World War II

Chart S.23t: UK Education since 1947

After World War II UK education spending increased rapidly, peaking at 4 percent of GDP in 1949 before being sharply reduced to 3.3 percent GDP in 1951.

Starting in 1956 education spending began a long increase, reaching 5.35 percent GDP in 1968. It then resumed a slower growth, reaching 5.6 percent of GDP in 1973 before blowing off at 6.5 percent GDP in 1975 in the inflation of the 1970s.

Starting in 1976, at 6.1 percent GDP education began a secular decline through 15 years that bottomed out in 1989 at 4.2 percent of GDP. Education spending then rose to 4.9 percent GDP in 1995 before declining to 4.4 percent GDP in 2000.

In the 2000s education spending increased as a percent of GDP, peaking at 5.8 percent GDP. After the Great Recession education spending has declined to 4 percent GDP in 2020.

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Spending Data Sources

Expenditure data since 1983 comes from HM Treasury’s Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis reports.

Detailed table of spending data sources here.

Gross Domestic Product data comes from measuringworth.com.

Central government spending data begins in 1692.

Local authority spending data begins in 1868.

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Data Sources for 2018_2028:

Sources for 2018:

GDP: OBR EFO supp. economy tables
Spending: HM Treasury PESA
Debt: OBR Public Finances Databank

Sources for 2028:

GDP: OBR EFO supp. economy tables
Spending: HM Treasury PESA
Debt: OBR Public Finances Databank

> spending data sources for other years

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