UK Explained
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Classroom pack: reading the numbers

Three charts, three questions and an answer sheet, built from the latest official figures. Print this page or save it as a PDF. It is rebuilt every night, so the numbers are always current.

1. Government spending and money collected, as a share of the economy

2006-072025-2652.339.1

Question 1. In the latest year, did the government spend more than it collected? How can you tell from the numbers?

2. Hospital treatments waiting to start, England

July 2016July 20267.83.8

Question 2. Is the waiting list bigger or smaller than five years ago? By how much?

3. Typical full-time weekly pay, UK (cash terms)

20022025766.6390.9

Question 3. By how many pounds a week has typical pay risen since the start of the chart? Why might this overstate how much better off people are?

Answer sheet

  1. 1. Spending was 44.3% of the economy and money collected was 39.4%, so it spent more and borrowed the difference (4.9% of the economy) in 2025-26.
  2. 2. It was 5.5 million in June 2021 and is 7.3 million in July 2026, a change of +1.9 million.
  3. 3. From £391 in 2002 to £767 in 2025, up £376. Prices also rose over this period, so the same pounds buy less than they once did.

Ideas for discussion

  • What would you need to know to decide whether a change is good or bad?
  • Why might two people read the same chart differently?
  • Which of these figures could be revised later, and why?

Sources: HM Treasury, ONS, NHS England. Each chart’s source and date: Is it getting better or worse?. Plain wording is used throughout; terms are explained in Words explained.