How to find historical UK statistics, from ONS time series to the Bank of England's millennium dataset
For most historical questions, start with the ONS time series pages, which hold long runs of official data under a four-character series ID and can be downloaded in full. For figures before official records began, the Bank of England's 'A millennium of macroeconomic data' spreadsheet brings together long-run estimates of GDP, prices, wages, unemployment and public debt. The OBR's public finances databank covers the fiscal history. Long-run series join together different sources and methods, so read the notes before comparing distant years.
Step 1: ONS time series
Every ONS headline series has a time series page with a four-character ID called a CDID. Type the CDID or a description into the ONS search box, or use the time series explorer . Each page lets you download the whole series as CSV or spreadsheet, with annual, quarterly and monthly values, the release date and the next release.
Useful long series include:
CDKO : "Retail Prices Index: Long run series: 1800 to 2024: Jan 1974=100", annual from 1800 and monthly for recent years;
HF6X : public sector net debt as a percentage of GDP;
UKPOP : UK population estimates;
ABMI : real GDP (chained volume measure).
Sources: time series explorer, CDKO, HF6X, UKPOP, ABMI
Worked example: how much have prices risen since 1900?
On 13 October 2026 we downloaded CDKO. The index (January 1974 = 100) reads 9.2 for 1900 and 1588.6 for 2025. Dividing one by the other, prices on this measure were about 173 times higher in 2025 than in 1900. The same series shows 9.8 in 1914 and 25.3 in 1920, so prices rose about two and a half times across the First World War.
Points to note:
CDKO is a long-run composite based on the RPI, which the ONS says does not meet the standard for accreditation as a current measure; see RPI .
Annual values are averages for the year, so they will not match a single month.
The Bank of England's inflation calculator uses CPI from 1988 and says "CPI estimates before 1988 are modelled based on data collected for the Retail Price Index (RPI)", so it will give a somewhat different answer.
For converting a historical amount into today's money, see cash terms and real terms .
Source: inflation calculator
Step 2: the Bank of England's millennium dataset
The Bank of England's research datasets page hosts "A millennium of macroeconomic data", which it describes as "a broad set of macroeconomic and financial data for the UK stretching back in some cases to the C13th and with one or two benchmark estimates available for 1086, the year of the Domesday Book". The spreadsheet is about 28MB, with over 100 worksheets covering population, GDP, prices, wages, employment, money, interest rates, migration, public spending and the national debt.
Start with the sheet "A1. Headline series", which gathers the main annual series and names the detailed sheet behind each one. For example, its unemployment rate column, labelled as an "LFS consistent measure, rough", gives about 15.4% for 1932 and 11.8% for 1984.
Two cautions: the Bank says version 3.1 "has now been updated to 2016", so for recent years use current ONS data instead; and the older estimates are reconstructions by historians and economists, with wider uncertainty than modern statistics.
Source: research datasets
Step 3: public finances history
The OBR's data pages include a public finances databank, updated monthly, with fiscal aggregates such as borrowing, debt and receipts as a share of GDP. The ONS uses it for its long-run debt chart: in the August 2026 public sector finances bulletin , Figure 6 shows net debt as a percentage of GDP from the financial year ending March 1901, using "historical data published in the Office for Budget Responsibility's Public finances databank". See how to check a claim about the national debt .
Sources: data pages, August 2026 public sector finances bulletin
Step 4: census and old publications
Census. The ONS historic census data page and the Nomis census pages hold tables from past censuses, with Nomis listing censuses from 2021 back to 1921. See where to find census data .
Past releases. Use "View previous releases" on any ONS bulletin. Older government web pages are preserved in the UK Government Web Archive run by The National Archives.
Bank of England series. Interest rate and money data go back decades in the Bank's database; see how to use the Bank of England database .
Sources: historic census data, UK Government Web Archive
Step 5: check for breaks and warnings
Long series stitch together different sources. Before comparing distant years:
Read the notes for breaks in definition, geography (Great Britain or the UK; the UK including the whole of Ireland before 1922) or method.
Check for revisions. Historical estimates can be revised years later; see how to understand revisions .
Check OSR's view. On 12 October 2026 the Office for Statistics Regulation wrote to the ONS that parts of the pre-1997 investment (gross fixed capital formation) series have "significant quality issues that are large enough to affect interpretation", and that users were being directed to an older 2010 vintage in the meantime. See how to use OSR's work .
Use ratios. Over long periods, cash amounts mean little. Compare shares of GDP, per-head figures or real terms.
Source: wrote to the ONS
Checklist
Series ID (CDID) or dataset version noted
Whole series downloaded, not read off a chart
Annual averages and single months kept separate
Breaks in definition or geography checked
Recent years taken from current ONS data
Cash amounts converted to ratios or real terms
OSR warnings checked for the series
Official sources used in this guide
Sources: ONS time series explorer, ONS series CDKO: long-run price index from 1800, Bank of England: research datasets (A millennium of macroeconomic data), Bank of England: inflation calculator, OBR: data, ONS: historic census data, The National Archives: UK Government Web Archive
Questions
How far back does UK inflation data go?
The ONS long-run price series CDKO starts in 1800. The Bank of England's inflation calculator goes back to 1209 using modelled estimates.
Source: ONS time series explorer
Where can I find UK GDP history?
Use ONS series for recent decades and the Bank of England millennium dataset for earlier centuries, noting that it was last updated to 2016.
Source: ONS time series explorer
Why do two historical sources give different numbers?
They may use different measures (RPI or CPI), different geography (England, Great Britain or the UK), annual averages or year-end values, or older and newer vintages of the same estimate. Read the notes for each and quote the source and version you used.
Source: ONS time series explorer
Is historical data official?
ONS series are official statistics. The millennium dataset is a Bank of England research dataset compiled from many historical sources, so cite it as such.
Source: ONS time series explorer