Social protection spending in the United Kingdom reached 383.9 billion British pounds in 2024/25, compared with 364.7 billion pounds in the previous year.

In 2023/24, public spending on social protection in the United Kingdom was ***** British pounds per capita, ranging from ***** pounds per capita in Northern Ireland, to ***** pounds per capita in South East England.

Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of Government Expenditure data was reported at 11.085 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.200 % for 2022. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of Government Expenditure data is updated yearly, averaging 12.200 % from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2023, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.734 % in 2013 and a record low of 10.218 % in 2018. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of Government Expenditure data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Virgin Islands (British) – Table VG.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Median;

This survey is part of a continuing series designed to monitor trends in a wide range of social attitudes in Great Britain. The British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA) is similar to the General Social Survey carried out by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) in the United States. The BSA questionnaire has two parts, one administered by an interviewer and the other completed by the respondent. As in the past, the 1998 interview questionnaire contained a number of "core" questions covering the major topic areas of defense, the economy, labor market participation, and the welfare state. The 1998 self-enumerated questionnaire was devoted to a series of questions on a range of social, economic, political, and moral issues. Topics covered (by section) are: (1) newspaper readership, (2) party identification, (3) housing, (4) role of grandparents, (5) public spending/social welfare, (6) health care, (7) economic activity/labor market, (8) education, (9) citizenship, (10) local government, (11) miscellaneous voting habits and preferences, and (12) race, religion, and class. An international initiative funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the International Social Survey Program (ISSP), also contributes a module to the BSA. The topic of the ISSP module in this collection was religion. Additional demographic data included age, education, income, marital status, and religious and political affiliations.

Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Primary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data was reported at 29.857 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 16.564 % for 2015. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Primary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data is updated yearly, averaging 29.857 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2017, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 55.692 % in 1971 and a record low of 16.564 % in 2015. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Primary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Virgin Islands (British) – Table VG.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Expenditure on primary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Data as of February 2020.;Median;

In 2025/26, the budgeted expenditure of the United Kingdom government is expected to be reach 1,335 billion British pounds, with the highest spending function being the 379 billion pounds expected to be spent on social protection, which includes pensions and other welfare benefits. Government spending on health was expected to be 277 billion pounds and was the second-highest spending function in this fiscal year, while education was the third-highest spending category at 146 billion pounds. UK government debt approaching 100 percent of GDP At the end of the 2024/25 financial year, the UK's government debt amounted to approximately 2.8 trillion British pounds, around 96 percent of GDP that year. This is due to the UK having to borrow money to cover its spending commitments, especially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when this deficit amounted to 314.6 billion pounds. Without significant cuts to spending or tax rises, the current government is aiming to reduce this debt by creating a stronger, more productive economy. Though this is how Britain's post WW2 debt was reduced, the country faces far more structural problems to growth than it did in the mid 20th century. Income Tax the UK's main revenue source Income Tax is expected to raise approximately 329 billion British pounds in the 2025/26 financial year, and be the largest revenue source for the government that year. Value Added Tax (VAT) receipts are expected to raise 214 billion pounds, with National Insurance contributions reaching 199 billion pounds. Although National Insurance rates for employees has actually fallen recently, the rate which employers pay was one of the main tax rises announced in the Autumn 2024 budget, rising from 13.8 percent to 15 percent. Though this avoided raising tax for workers directly, many UK businesses were critical of the move, with taxation seen as the main issue facing them at the start of 2025.

In 2024/25 the United Kingdom spent an estimated 313 billion British pounds on welfare, compared with 297 billion pounds in the previous year.

Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 40.037 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 19.602 % for 2001. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 29.819 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2015, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 40.037 % in 2015 and a record low of 19.602 % in 2001. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Virgin Islands (British) – Table VG.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Data as of February 2020.;Median;

Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure per Student: Primary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 6.248 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.384 % for 2015. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure per Student: Primary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 8.197 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2017, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.291 % in 2010 and a record low of 6.036 % in 2001. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure per Student: Primary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Virgin Islands (British) – Table VG.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Data as of February 2020.;Median;

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.BackgroundThe British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey series began in 1983. The series is designed to produce annual measures of attitudinal movements to complement large-scale government surveys that deal largely with facts and behaviour patterns, and the data on party political attitudes produced by opinion polls. One of the BSA's main purposes is to allow the monitoring of patterns of continuity and change, and the examination of the relative rates at which attitudes, in respect of a range of social issues, change over time. Some questions are asked regularly, others less often. Funding for BSA comes from a number of sources (including government departments, the Economic and Social Research Council and other research foundations), but the final responsibility for the coverage and wording of the annual questionnaires rests with NatCen Social Research (formerly Social and Community Planning Research). The BSA has been conducted every year since 1983, except in 1988 and 1992 when core funding was devoted to the British Election Study (BES).Further information about the series and links to publications may be found on the NatCen Social Research British Social Attitudes webpage. BSA 2021The 2021 BSA survey used a mixed-mode push-to-web design with an optional Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) opt-in. Letters were sent to a random sample of addresses inviting up to two household members to complete the survey online, with an option to be interviewed by phone if preferred. This is the same design used for the 2020 BSA. Before 2020, BSA was a face-to-face survey, but this was changed due to the public health measures introduced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The full BSA 2021 report, Broken Britain? Public attitudes in an era of crisis is available from the NatCen Social Research website. Main Topics:Each year, the BSA interview questionnaire contains a number of 'core' questions, which are repeated in most years. In addition, a wide range of background and classificatory questions is included. The remainder of the questionnaire is devoted to a series of questions (modules) on a range of social, economic, political and moral issues - some are asked regularly, others less often. Cross-indexes of those questions asked more than once appear in the reports. In 2021 the questionnaire included the following topics: Household Composition, Employment, Politics, Welfare, Benefits and Income, National Identity and Ethnicity, Religion, Disability, Education, EU Referendum and the General Election, Benefits and Income, Spending and Governance, Immigration, Equal Opportunities, Identity and Britishness, Work and Health, Child Maintenance, Digital, Work and COVID-19, Pensions and Retirement, Sexual Relationships, Parental Leave, Disability, Mental Health and the Workplace, Social Mobility, Social Class, Satisfaction with Health and Care Services, Health and Care Spending, NHS Priorities and Principles, New Home Building, Buying or Renting a Home, COVID-19 and the Home.

In 2023/24, the government of the United Kingdom spent approximately 360 billion British pounds on social protection, with spending on old age social protection amounting to 155.6 billion pounds.

Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Tertiary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data was reported at 35.072 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 22.119 % for 2015. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Tertiary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data is updated yearly, averaging 22.119 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2017, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 35.072 % in 2017 and a record low of 1.466 % in 1970. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Tertiary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Virgin Islands (British) – Table VG.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Expenditure on tertiary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Data as of February 2020.;Median;

Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data was reported at 2.484 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.870 % for 2021. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 3.251 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2022, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.574 % in 1970 and a record low of 2.426 % in 2018. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Virgin Islands (British) – Table VG.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Median;

In 2024/25 the UK government is expected to spend approximately ******billion British pounds on benefits, compared with the previous year when benefit expenditure was ******billion pounds.

Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 10.851 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.060 % for 2015. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 14.060 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2017, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.971 % in 2009 and a record low of 10.851 % in 2017. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Virgin Islands (British) – Table VG.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Data as of February 2020.;Median;

Virgin Islands (British) VG: Current Education Expenditure: Secondary: % of Total Expenditure in Secondary Public Institutions data was reported at 100.000 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 87.691 % for 2015. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Current Education Expenditure: Secondary: % of Total Expenditure in Secondary Public Institutions data is updated yearly, averaging 98.890 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2023, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 100.000 % in 2023 and a record low of 87.691 % in 2015. Virgin Islands (British) VG: Current Education Expenditure: Secondary: % of Total Expenditure in Secondary Public Institutions data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Virgin Islands (British) – Table VG.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Current expenditure is expressed as a percentage of direct expenditure in public educational institutions (instructional and non-instructional) of the specified level of education. Financial aid to students and other transfers are excluded from direct expenditure. Current expenditure is consumed within the current year and would have to be renewed if needed in the following year. It includes staff compensation and current expenditure other than for staff compensation (ex. on teaching materials, ancillary services and administration).;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Median;

In 2019, social media advertising spending in the United Kingdom stood at **** billion British pounds and accounted for ** percent of the total digital ad spend in the country. That year, search advertising was the digital ad format that attracted the largest investements in the UK.

In the 3 years to March 2021, white British families were the most likely to receive a type of state support.

The UK government is expected to spend 67 billion British pounds on universal credit in 2024/25. Meanwhile, the value of public money spent on housing benefits for low-income households to pay their rent has been decreasing. At the same time, the expenditure on universal credit has been rising, which can be used to cover their living costs, including housing, but not limited to that.

In the 2023/24 financial year, total public sector expenditure in Scotland was approximately 111.2 billion British pounds, with social protection accounting for over 32.9 billion pounds of this spending, the most of any spending category.