Civometry

OBR · 10 June 1983 – 11 June 1987

Borrowing forecasts, per cent of GDP during the Conservative 1983–1987 government

Year ending March 1983 → Year ending March 1987 · 4 periods

↓ 26.5%−0.7% per cent of GDP

Borrowing forecasts, per cent of GDP fell by 26.5% over the period, from 2.6% per cent of GDP (Year ending March 1983, the level when the government took office) to 1.9% (Year ending March 1987, the last complete period before it left office).

  1. Inherited level Year ending March 1983: 2.6%
  2. Level when it left Year ending March 1987: 1.9%
  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.

Borrowing forecasts, per cent of GDP: Year ending March 1977 to Year ending March 2025ConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour0%5%10%19801990200020102020Year ending March 1977: 4.9% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1978: 3.9% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1979: 4.5% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1980: 3.7% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1981: 4.3% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1982: 2% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1983: 2.6% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1984: 3.3% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1985: 3.2% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1986: 2.1% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1987: 1.9% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1988: 1% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1989: -1% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1990: 0% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1991: 1.1% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1992: 3.3% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1993: 6.3% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1994: 6.6% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1995: 5.3% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1996: 4.1% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1997: 3.1% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1998: 1.1% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1999: 0% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2000: -1.1% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2001: -1.5% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2002: 0.5% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2003: 2.9% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2004: 3.4% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2005: 3.8% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2006: 3.2% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2007: 2.7% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2008: 2.9% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2009: 7.3% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2010: 10.2% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2011: 8.7% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2012: 7.3% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2013: 7.1% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2014: 5.7% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2015: 5.2% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2016: 4.2% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2017: 2.8% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2018: 2.8% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2019: 2% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2020: 2.6% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2021: 14.7% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2022: 5% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2023: 4.8% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2024: 4.8% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2025: 5.2% per cent of GDP · published 26 March 2026
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Definition and caveats

Public sector net borrowing as a share of GDP: the outturn as the OBR last knew it, with every official forecast for the same year stored by the month it was made.

Doesn’t measure: The latest ONS estimate of borrowing, which can differ after revisions and classification changes.