The report examines the fiscal balance of United Kingdom and its relationship to government revenue and expense.
The fiscal position of United Kingdom in 2024 comprised government revenue excluding grants of 34.8% of GDP and expense of 41.2% of GDP. Net lending or borrowing was -6.9% of GDP. Relative to the previous year, the balance up by 0.1 percentage points. Tax revenue represented 27.0% of GDP in 2024. Grants and other revenue accounted for 5.6% of total revenue in 2024.
Based on comparable data for 2024, United Kingdom ranked 142nd of 158 economies by its fiscal balance.
United Kingdom Government Budget Balance by Year
Data source: World Bank, World Development Indicators — Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), % of GDP (GC.NLD.TOTL.GD.ZS); Revenue, excluding grants, % of GDP (GC.REV.XGRT.GD.ZS); Expense, % of GDP (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS); Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), current local currency units (GC.NLD.TOTL.CN); Tax revenue, % of GDP (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS); Grants and other revenue, % of revenue (GC.REV.GOTR.ZS).
License: CC BY-4.0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
About the Indicators
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), % of GDP. The overall government fiscal balance — revenue minus expense minus net acquisition of nonfinancial assets — as a share of GDP.
Revenue, excluding grants, % of GDP. Government revenue from taxes and non-tax sources, excluding grants received from other governments or organizations, as a share of GDP.
Expense, % of GDP. Total government expense — all cash payments for operating activities and transfers — as a share of GDP.
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), current local currency units. The overall government fiscal balance in the country’s own currency, at current prices.
Tax revenue, % of GDP. Compulsory transfers to government for public purposes, as a share of GDP.
Grants and other revenue, % of revenue. The share of total government revenue coming from grants and other miscellaneous, non-tax sources.