Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public was 7.7% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 7.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.3% on the previous year and up 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 11.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2019.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 64th out of 124 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 4.9% | — |
| 1999 | 5.7% | +16.6% |
| 2000 | 5.1% | -10.1% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | +49.8% |
| 2002 | 7.0% | -9.6% |
| 2003 | 6.1% | -12.8% |
| 2004 | 7.9% | +30.4% |
| 2005 | 8.0% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 8.6% | +7.9% |
| 2007 | 6.1% | -29.5% |
| 2008 | 8.3% | +35.9% |
| 2009 | 9.6% | +16.6% |
| 2010 | 11.4% | +18.4% |
| 2011 | 6.2% | -46.1% |
| 2013 | 2.7% | -56.5% |
| 2014 | 2.7% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 2.6% | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -12.0% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | +8.9% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | -7.7% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 8.0% | +267.7% |
| 2021 | 7.7% | -4.3% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 7.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 7.9%, 97% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 7.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.6%, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +267.7% | 2.2% | 8.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.3% | 4.9% | 5.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.4% | 5.1% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.9% | 2.2% | 11.4% | 9 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 7.7% | 8.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 7.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 11.4% in 2010.
- What is the lowest capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2019.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 64th out of 124 countries with data for 2021.
- Is capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release