Which item is the second biggest on government spending?

Question: Which item is the second biggest on government spending?

Which item is the second biggest on government spending? This is a question that many people may have, especially in times of economic uncertainty and fiscal challenges. In this blog post, we will try to answer this question by looking at some data and analysis from reliable sources.

According to the latest figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the UK government spent £927.8 billion in the fiscal year 2023-24, which is equivalent to 38.9% of GDP. The biggest item on government spending was social protection, which includes pensions, welfare benefits, and social care. This category accounted for £276.4 billion, or 29.8% of total spending.

The second biggest item on government spending was health, which includes the National Health Service (NHS), public health, and medical research. This category accounted for £214.6 billion, or 23.1% of total spending. The health spending increased by 4.1% in real terms compared to the previous year, reflecting the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery efforts.

The third biggest item on government spending was education, which includes schools, colleges, universities, and student loans. This category accounted for £111.9 billion, or 12.1% of total spending. The education spending increased by 2.5% in real terms compared to the previous year, mainly due to the higher costs of student loans.

The fourth biggest item on government spending was defence, which includes the armed forces, intelligence services, and nuclear weapons. This category accounted for £54.7 billion, or 5.9% of total spending. The defence spending increased by 3.4% in real terms compared to the previous year, following the government's commitment to boost the defence budget by £16.5 billion over four years.

The fifth biggest item on government spending was public order and safety, which includes the police, courts, prisons, and fire services. This category accounted for £39.6 billion, or 4.3% of total spending. The public order and safety spending increased by 1.9% in real terms compared to the previous year, mainly due to the higher costs of policing and criminal justice.

The remaining items on government spending were debt interest (£36 billion), transport (£33 billion), housing and environment (£25 billion), industry, agriculture and employment (£23 billion), culture and recreation (£14 billion), general public services (£13 billion), overseas aid (£10 billion), and EU transactions (£5 billion).

We hope that this blog post has given you some insight into the second biggest item on government spending and how it compares to other categories. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.