Public spending by country and region

This briefing paper gives figures on the level of public spending in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  It also gives figures for the English regions. 

In 2020/21, public spending per person in the UK as a whole was £13,414. In England, it was £13,166 (2% below the UK average).  This compares with:

• Scotland: £14,842 (11% above the UK average)
• Wales: £14,222 (6% above the UK average)
• Northern Ireland £15,357 (14% above the UK average).

Among the English regions, public spending per person was lowest in the East Midlands at £12,133 (10% below the UK average) and highest in London at £15,490 (15% higher than the UK average).

The data shown are for public spending per person and are taken from HM Treasury’s Country and regional analysis: 2021, which contains more detailed information including spending by function (health, education etc).

Spending figures for 2020/21 reflect the unusual spending situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and are different in some respects from spending patterns in previous years.