Government spending per capita in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Government spending per capita was 29,093 current international-$ in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
29,093 current international-$
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
18th
of 43 countries
All-time high
29,093 current international-$
in 2024
All-time low
14,601 current international-$
in 2007
Years of data
18
2007–2024

Government spending per capita in United Kingdom, 2007–2024

010.0k20.0k30.0k2007201520242007: 14.6k current international-$2008: 16.3k current international-$2009: 16.6k current international-$2010: 17.3k current international-$2011: 17.0k current international-$2012: 17.5k current international-$2013: 17.5k current international-$2014: 17.8k current international-$2015: 18.0k current international-$2016: 18.3k current international-$2017: 19.0k current international-$2018: 19.3k current international-$2019: 20.5k current international-$2020: 25.2k current international-$2021: 24.6k current international-$2022: 27.4k current international-$2023: 28.3k current international-$2024: 29.1k current international-$

Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in current international-$.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government spending per capita in United Kingdom is 29,093 current international-$, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 63.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending per capita in United Kingdom peaked at 29,093 current international-$ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 14,601 current international-$, in 2007.

That places United Kingdom 18th out of 43 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15,815 current international-$ 14,601 current international-$ 16,566 current international-$ 3
2010s 18,221 current international-$ 17,039 current international-$ 20,454 current international-$ 10
2020s 26,924 current international-$ 24,575 current international-$ 29,093 current international-$ 5

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 15 Italy 31,377 current international-$ compare
  2. 16 Australia 29,639 current international-$ compare
  3. 17 Canada 29,521 current international-$ compare
  4. 19 Slovenia 26,764 current international-$ compare
  5. 20 Spain 26,400 current international-$ compare
  6. 21 Israel 25,449 current international-$ compare

See the full ranking of 43 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending per capita in United Kingdom?
Government spending per capita in United Kingdom was 29,093 current international-$ in 2024, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending per capita recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 29,093 current international-$ in 2024.
What is the lowest government spending per capita recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 14,601 current international-$ in 2007.
How does United Kingdom rank for government spending per capita?
United Kingdom ranks 18th out of 43 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending per capita rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 63.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Government spending per capita
Unit
current international-$
Source
OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
43 places, 757 data points, 2007–2024
Last refreshed

The total amount of money the general government spends per capita. This data is adjusted for differences in living costs between countries but not for inflation.