Stately

HM Treasury · 8 May 2015 – 9 June 2017

Spending on defence during the Conservative 2015–2017 government

Year ending March 2015 → Year ending March 2017 · 2 periods

↑ 1.1%+£400m £ billion

Spending on defence rose by 1.1% over the period, from £36.7bn £ billion (Year ending March 2015, the level when the government took office) to £37.1bn (Year ending March 2017, the last complete period before it left office).

  1. Inherited level Year ending March 2015: £36.7bn
  2. Level when it left Year ending March 2017: £37.1bn
  3. method: latest complete period before start / before end

Changes during this period do not by themselves show what the government caused. Statistics reflect many influences, including earlier decisions, the economy and how the data is collected.

Spending on defence: Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2025LabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour020406020052010201520202025Year ending March 2003: £27bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2004: £28.8bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2005: £29.8bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2006: £31bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2007: £32.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2008: £33.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2009: £36.8bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2010: £37.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2011: £39.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2012: £38.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2013: £36.3bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2014: £36.4bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2015: £36.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2016: £36.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2017: £37.1bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2018: £38.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2019: £40.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2020: £42.2bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2021: £44.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2022: £48.7bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2023: £55.5bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2024: £56.8bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2025: £63.6bn £ billion · published 17 July 2025
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Definition and caveats

Public sector spending on defence by function in cash terms, on the COFOG definition rather than the NATO one.

Doesn’t measure: The NATO measure of defence spending, which counts some pensions and other items differently.