HM Treasury · 8 May 2015 – 9 June 2017
Spending on economic affairs during the Conservative 2015–2017 government
↑ 19.8%+£8.1bn
Spending on economic affairs rose by 19.8% over the period, from £41bn (Year ending March 2015, the level when the government took office) to £49.1bn (Year ending March 2017, the last complete period before it left office). That is an average of +9.4% a year over the term.
- Inherited level Year ending March 2015: £41bn
- Level when it left Year ending March 2017: £49.1bn
- method: latest complete period before start / before end
In real terms (Year ending March 2017 prices, ONS CPI all-items index) the change is a rise of 16.5%: £42.2bn to £49.1bn. The figures above are cash terms as published. HM Treasury deflates public spending with the GDP deflator, not CPI, so official real-terms spending figures can differ.
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.
The chart as a table
| Period | Spending on economic affairs |
|---|---|
| Year ending March 2003 | £30.7bn |
| Year ending March 2004 | £33bn |
| Year ending March 2005 | £33.5bn |
| Year ending March 2006 | £35.2bn |
| Year ending March 2007 | £37.4bn |
| Year ending March 2008 | £37.3bn |
| Year ending March 2009 | £49.6bn |
| Year ending March 2010 | £48.6bn |
| Year ending March 2011 | £39.9bn |
| Year ending March 2012 | £37.7bn |
| Year ending March 2013 | £36.6bn |
| Year ending March 2014 | £40.8bn |
| Year ending March 2015 | £41bn |
| Year ending March 2016 | £46.9bn |
| Year ending March 2017 | £49.1bn |
| Year ending March 2018 | £53bn |
| Year ending March 2019 | £60.7bn |
| Year ending March 2020 | £66.6bn |
| Year ending March 2021 | £196.3bn |
| Year ending March 2022 | £97.7bn |
| Year ending March 2023 | £124.5bn |
| Year ending March 2024 | £94.4bn |
| Year ending March 2025 | £88bn |
| Year ending March 2026 | £94bn |
Definition and caveats
Public sector spending on enterprise, science, employment policy, agriculture and transport, in cash terms.
Doesn’t measure: Any one of those components separately.