UK Public Sector Net Borrowing

Borrowing - the difference between total public sector spending and income - was £23.3 billion in May 2026; this was £5.4 billion (30.4%) more than in May 2025, and £5.6 billion more than the £17.7 billion forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Central government debt interest payable was £11.7 billion in May 2026; this was £4.1 billion (54.4%) more than in May 2025 and the highest in any May on record (not adjusted for inflation). Borrowing in the financial year (FY) to May 2026 was £46.3 billion; this was £8.9 ...

Borrowing – the difference between total public sector spending and income – was £24.3 billion in April 2026; this was £4.9 billion (25.1%) more than in April 2025, and £3.4 billion more than the £20.9 billion forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Borrowing in the financial year ending (FYE) March 2026 was provisionally estimated at £129.0 billion; this was £22.8 billion (15.0%) less than in the FYE March 2025, and £3.7 billion less than the £132.7 billion forecast by the OBR. We have reduced our initial estimate of ...

Borrowing – the difference between total public sector spending and income – was £12.6 billion in March 2026; this was £1.4 billion less than in March 2025 and the lowest March borrowing since 2022 (not adjusted for inflation). Borrowing in the financial year ending (FYE) March 2026 was initially estimated at £132.0 billion; this was £19.8 billion (13.1%) less than in the FYE March 2025, and £0.7 billion less than the £132.7 billion forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Borrowing in the FYE March 2026 was initially ...

Borrowing: the difference between total public sector spending and income was £14.3 billion in February 2026; this was £2.2 billion more than in February 2025, largely because of the timing of central government debt interest payable (see Figure 2), and the second highest February borrowing since monthly records began in 1993, behind that of 2021. Borrowing in the financial year to February 2026 was £125.9 billion; this was £11.9 billion or 8.7% less than in the same 11-month period a year ago, but still the fourth-highest April to ...

Initial estimates show that the public sector recorded a £30.4 billion surplus in January 2026, £15.9 billion higher than, or double that of January 2025, and £6.3 billion above the Office for Budget Responsibility’s November 2025 forecast; the highest surplus in any month since records began in 1993 (not adjusted for inflation). In January, tax receipts are always higher than in other months, because of receipts from self-assessed taxes; combined self-assessed Income and Capital Gains Tax receipts were provisionally estimated at ...

Borrowing - the difference between total public sector spending and income - was £11.6 billion in December 2025; this was £7.1 billion or 38.0% less than December 2024 and the 10th highest December since monthly records began in 1993 (not adjusted for inflation). Borrowing in the financial year to December 2025 was £140.4 billion; this was £0.3 billion or 0.2% less than in the same nine-month period of 2024, but still the third-highest April to December borrowing on record (not adjusted for inflation), after those of 2020 and 2024. ...

Borrowing - the difference between total public sector spending and income - was £11.7 billion in November 2025; this was £1.9 billion (or 14.0%) less than November 2024 and the lowest November borrowing since 2021 (not adjusted for inflation). Borrowing in the financial year to November 2025 was £132.3 billion; this was £10.0 billion (or 8.2%) more than in the same eight-month period of 2024 and the second-highest April to November borrowing on record (not adjusted for inflation), after that of 2020. Borrowing in the financial year ...