UK public spending on defence by year
Military and civil defence, foreign military aid and defence research.
£65.4 billion
2.1%
HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) put public spending on defence at £65.4 billion in 2025-26. In 2024-25 it was £63.7 billion, so the cash figure changed by +2.7%. Adjusted to 2025-26 prices, it was £51.4 billion in 2003-04 and £65.4 billion in 2025-26. As a share of GDP it was 2.1% in 2025-26; the highest share in the table is 2.4% in 2009-10.
Spending by year
| Year | Cash | Change on previous year | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Share of GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | £65.4 billion | +2.7% | £65.4 billion | 2.1% |
| 2024-25 | £63.7 billion | +12.1% | £65.9 billion | 2.2% |
| 2023-24 | £56.8 billion | +2.3% | £61.1 billion | 2.0% |
| 2022-23 | £55.5 billion | +14.0% | £62.9 billion | 2.1% |
| 2021-22 | £48.7 billion | +9.2% | £59.0 billion | 2.0% |
| 2020-21 | £44.6 billion | +5.7% | £54.2 billion | 2.1% |
| 2019-20 | £42.2 billion | +5.0% | £54.0 billion | 1.9% |
| 2018-19 | £40.2 billion | +3.9% | £52.8 billion | 1.8% |
| 2017-18 | £38.7 billion | +4.3% | £52.0 billion | 1.8% |
| 2016-17 | £37.1 billion | +1.4% | £50.5 billion | 1.8% |
| 2015-16 | £36.6 billion | -0.3% | £50.8 billion | 1.9% |
| 2014-15 | £36.7 billion | +0.8% | £51.3 billion | 1.9% |
| 2013-14 | £36.4 billion | +0.3% | £51.6 billion | 2.0% |
| 2012-13 | £36.3 billion | -6.2% | £52.5 billion | 2.1% |
| 2011-12 | £38.7 billion | -1.5% | £56.9 billion | 2.3% |
| 2010-11 | £39.3 billion | +4.2% | £59.0 billion | 2.4% |
| 2009-10 | £37.7 billion | +2.4% | £57.6 billion | 2.4% |
| 2008-09 | £36.8 billion | +9.2% | £57.0 billion | 2.3% |
| 2007-08 | £33.7 billion | +4.7% | £54.1 billion | 2.1% |
| 2006-07 | £32.2 billion | +3.9% | £52.7 billion | 2.2% |
| 2005-06 | £31.0 billion | +4.0% | £52.3 billion | 2.2% |
| 2004-05 | £29.8 billion | +3.5% | £51.6 billion | 2.2% |
| 2003-04 | £28.8 billion | £51.4 billion | 2.3% |
PESA 2026 Tables 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4, line "2. Defence(1)". About these figures · CSV
Sources and receipts
- Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2026, Chapter 4 tables, HM Treasury.
File: PESA_2026_CP_Chapter_4_tables.xlsx. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256
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