How much does the UK spend on debt interest?

Central government debt interest is reported monthly in the ONS public sector finances release and forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility. A large share of UK debt is index-linked gilts, whose interest rises with RPI inflation, so interest costs move with inflation as well as with interest rates.

The OBR's Economic and fiscal outlook gives the forecast for each year ahead and explains how sensitive it is to changes in rates and inflation.

Official sources: ONS public sector finances (latest) · OBR Economic and fiscal outlook

The latest figure

The newest value is at Office for National Statistics (ONS). More on it: UK public sector net borrowing.

When is the next figure out?

Monthly, usually around the third week of the month, 7am; next release 21 October 2026

Every official release due in the next two weeks is on the release calendar.

Terms used in this answer

• Quantitative easing (QE)
  The Bank of England's purchase of assets, mainly government bonds, with newly created central bank money to lower longer-term interest rates and support spending.
• Public sector net borrowing (PSNB)
  The gap between what the public sector spends and what it receives in a period. Often called the deficit; it adds to debt.
• Gilts
  Bonds issued by the UK government to borrow money. They pay a fixed interest (coupon) and repay the face value at maturity; index-linked gilts rise with RPI.
• Debt interest
  What the government pays each year to service its debt, including interest on gilts and the uplift on index-linked gilts when inflation rises.
• Quantitative tightening (QT)
  The Bank of England reducing the stock of government bonds it bought under quantitative easing, by letting them mature and by selling them.
• Public sector net debt (PSND)
  The public sector's financial liabilities, mainly government bonds, minus its liquid assets such as cash. The headline measure of the national debt.

Where the figures come from

• UK tax rates, allowances and taxpayer statistics (GOV.UK, HMRC, OBR, Revenue Scotland and Welsh Revenue Authority)
  Where to check official UK income tax bands, National Insurance, VAT, stamp duty, inheritance tax and taxpayer numbers, and how to test tax claims.
• Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)
  Where to find OBR forecasts, policy costings, the public finances databank and 300 years of fiscal data, and how to test tax and spending pledges.

Related questions

• How much is the UK government borrowing?
• What is the OBR and what does it forecast?
• What is the UK national debt?

This answer says where the official figures are published and how they are defined. It gives no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request. More questions about public finances, tax and the obr: all Public finances, tax and the OBR questions.