United Kingdom's claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) was 21.86% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 6.61 percentage points from 28.47% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 21.86% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 27% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 28.47% | 2014 |
| Highest | 47.04% | 1968 |
| Lowest | -0.34% | 2007 |
| Average since 2015 | 29.99% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 29.64% | 1960 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, United Kingdom's claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) fell 2.99 percentage points on 2023 (from 24.85% to 21.86%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.75 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.98 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 15.73 percentage points in 1970 and the biggest yearly fall was 20.64 percentage points in 1969. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2024, United Kingdom had the 9th highest value of the 40 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 21.86% | 2024 |
| World | 39.8% | 2024 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 20.29% | 2023 |
| High income | 43.12% | 2024 |
Closest to United Kingdom in the 2024 ranking
- Malawi — 5th of 40: 27.94%
- Gambia, The — 6th of 40: 27.55%
- Bahamas, The — 7th of 40: 23.45%
- Belgium — 9th of 40: 21.15%
- Slovak Republic — 10th of 40: 21.04%
- Greece — 11th of 40: 19.89%
What this measures
Claims on central government include loans to central government institutions net of deposits. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 65 values
| Year | Claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 21.86 |
| 2023 | 24.85 |
| 2022 | 28.04 |
| 2021 | 42.48 |
| 2020 | 42.46 |
| 2019 | 27 |
| 2018 | 26.78 |
| 2017 | 28.65 |
| 2016 | 30.47 |
| 2015 | 27.35 |
| 2014 |
Claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) in nearby economies
- Albania — 21.66% (2025)
- Armenia — 12.29% (2025)
- Austria — 17.69% (2024)
- Azerbaijan — -3.85% (2025)
- Belarus — -5.76% (2021)
- Belgium — 21.15% (2024)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 4.09% (2025)
- Bulgaria — 3.89% (2024)
- Croatia — 8.7% (2024)
- Cyprus — 11.58% (2024)
More financial sector data for United Kingdom
- Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 153.14 (2025)
- Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 3.88% (2025)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 121.99 (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$0.76 (2025)
- Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$0.76 (2025)
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 112.28% (2024)
- Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 3.89 trillion (2024)
- Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 440.95 billion (2024)
- Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is United Kingdom's claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP)?
- 21.86% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is down 7.78 percentage points from 29.64% in 1960. The highest value was 47.04% in 1968 and the lowest -0.34% in 2007.
- How does United Kingdom rank?
- 9th highest of 40 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) unusual for United Kingdom?
- In 2024, United Kingdom's claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) fell 2.99 percentage points on 2023 (from 24.85% to 21.86%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.75 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.98 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FS.AST.CGOV.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators Database, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in