Spending on social protection, real terms: record highs and lows
The extremes of spending on social protection, real terms as published by HM Treasury, across the 24 periods held here (Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2026). Each record is a published figure, not a computed one, and the scope is this series — not “ever”.
The latest figure, £407.3bn in Year ending March 2026, is the highest in the whole published series of 24 periods. The rule: a period counts as beaten only when its figure is strictly below the latest, and the claim is only made when it reaches back at least five years.
Highest published
£407.3bnYear ending March 2026
Lowest published
£255.6bnYear ending March 2003
The full series
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value
A record is the extreme of the periods this site holds for the current series, at each period’s newest published release. Earlier series measured under different methods are not compared against it. Money is in cash terms: a record set years ago stands against the money of its own year.