Government borrowing, debt and debt interest: statistics

This briefing was last updated in May 2021. It will no longer be updated. The statistics it presented on government borrowing, debt and debt interest are available from:

• Office for Budget Responsibility. Public finances databank
• Office for National Statistics. Public sector finances

The Library’s UK economy dashboard includes the latest data on government borrowing and debt. It is updated when the ONS publishes new borrowing and debt data.

Library briefings discuss borrowing and debt further: The budget deficit: a short guide provides some key definitions, whilst public finances discusses recent outturns and forecasts.

Coronavirus pandemic and the public finances 

The Library briefing Coronavirus: Economic impact discusses borrowing, debt and debt interest during the pandemic.

The Library Insight Government borrowing: Peacetime record confirmed discusses public sector net borrowing in 2020/21, a year when the coronavirus pandemic significantly pushed borrowing up.