Is it getting better or worse?
A single number cannot tell you whether it is high, low or rising. These are the headline figures on UK Explained, with their history. We show the change and leave the judgement to you.
Money
What the government spends, collects, borrows and owes, each as a share of the whole economy so years can be compared.
What’s this?
Everything the UK public sector spends in a year, as a share of everything the UK economy produces (GDP). Financial years run April to March.
What it cannot tell you: It does not say whether spending is too high or too low, or how well the money is used. Each year is shown as a share of that year's economy.
What’s this?
Taxes and other income collected by the public sector, as a share of the economy.
What it cannot tell you: It does not show who pays the tax, or how tax rates have changed.
What’s this?
When spending is higher than money collected, the government borrows the difference. This is that gap in one year, as a share of the economy.
What it cannot tell you: It is one year's gap. It does not say whether the borrowing was necessary or wise.
What’s this?
Public sector net debt: everything the public sector owes, minus the money and easily sold assets it holds, as a share of the economy. It is the total of past borrowing.
What it cannot tell you: A high or low figure is not by itself good or bad. What it means depends on interest rates, growth and what the borrowing paid for.
Prices, pay and jobs
How fast prices are rising, what a typical full-time worker earns, and how many people claim unemployment-related benefits.
What’s this?
How much prices rose over the previous twelve months, measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). A rate above zero means prices are rising.
What it cannot tell you: It is an average. Your own prices may have risen faster or slower, for example if you rent or drive a lot.
What’s this?
The middle weekly pay, before tax, of people working full time: half earn more, half earn less. Cash terms, not adjusted for prices.
What it cannot tell you: It is the middle of people working full time, so it leaves out part-time workers and people without a job. It is before tax and not adjusted for prices.
What’s this?
The same pay series, with earlier years scaled up by price rises so that every year is shown in 2025 money. It shows whether pay has risen faster than prices.
What it cannot tell you: It uses one price index for everyone, but people's own cost of living differs. It is still before tax.
What’s this?
People claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or Universal Credit while looking for work, as a share of everyone aged 16 to 64. It is one measure of people out of work.
What it cannot tell you: It counts people claiming a benefit, so it is not the same as unemployment measured by surveys. The rules for who can claim have changed over time.
NHS waiting times
Treatments waiting to start in England, and how long people have waited so far.
What’s this?
Treatments waiting to start after a referral, such as an operation or hospital appointment. One person can be waiting for more than one treatment.
What it cannot tell you: It counts treatments, not people, and does not show how urgent each case is.
What’s this?
The share of people waiting whose wait so far is under 18 weeks. The NHS constitution sets a standard of 92%.
What it cannot tell you: It does not show why someone has waited, or whether waiting changed their condition.
What’s this?
The middle wait so far among people still waiting: half have waited less than this, half more.
What it cannot tell you: The median hides the longest waits: half of people have waited longer than this.
Money figures are for financial years (April to March) and are in cash terms, so they are not adjusted for rising prices. Latest-year figures can be revised. Each card has a CSV and a Share button. How we calculate everything: How it works. Freshness of each dataset: Data status.