UK public spending on military defence by year
Spending on the armed forces and military defence.
£58.2 billion
HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) put public spending on military defence at £58.2 billion in 2025-26. In 2024-25 it was £57.1 billion, so the cash figure changed by +1.9%. The highest year in these tables is 2025-26, at £58.2 billion.
Spending by year
| Year | Cash | Change on previous year | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | £58.2 billion | +1.9% | PESA 2026 |
| 2024-25 | £57.1 billion | +10.8% | PESA 2026 |
| 2023-24 | £51.5 billion | +2.3% | PESA 2026 |
| 2022-23 | £50.4 billion | +10.1% | PESA 2026 |
| 2021-22 | £45.8 billion | +7.9% | PESA 2026 |
| 2020-21 | £42.4 billion | +5.4% | PESA 2021 |
| 2019-20 | £40.3 billion | +6.0% | PESA 2021 |
| 2018-19 | £38.0 billion | +4.3% | PESA 2021 |
| 2017-18 | £36.4 billion | +4.0% | PESA 2021 |
| 2016-17 | £35.0 billion | PESA 2021 |
PESA Table 5.2, line "2.1 Military defence". About these figures · CSV
Sources and receipts
- Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2026, Chapter 5 tables, HM Treasury.
File: PESA_2026_CP_Chapter_5_tables.xlsx. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256
ccb4539bb837c2b6a7f9509da49bd409eb9e5a910f3332311b494291fbd33107 - Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2021, Chapter 5 tables, HM Treasury.
File: PESA_2021_CP_Chapter_5.xlsx. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256
7c68482aafa0fddab1cac06a01347a177533db9df354d384ea82f465ee61f6ec