Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social was 32.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 32.9%.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 37.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 32.3%, in 2020.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 35th of 127 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 37.3% | — |
| 2001 | 37.4% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 36.8% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 36.8% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 36.4% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 35.1% | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 34.7% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 34.7% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 33.3% | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 35.2% | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 35.3% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 36.2% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 37.1% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 37.6% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 37.3% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 37.7% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 37.5% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 36.4% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 36.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 36.1% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 32.3% | -10.6% |
| 2021 | 33.3% | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 32.7% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 32.9% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35.8% | 33.3% | 37.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.8% | 35.3% | 37.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.8% | 32.3% | 33.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 32 Russian Federation 34.1% compare
- 32 Russian Federation 34.1% compare
- 34 Lebanon 33.3% compare
- 35 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 32.9% compare
- 37 Uruguay 32.1% compare
- 38 Belarus 31.5% compare
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.56 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,138 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -7.54 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.91 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 32.9% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services, social recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 37.7% in 2015.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services, social recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.3% in 2020.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services, social?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 35th out of 127 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services, social rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social protection (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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