BMJ 2015;350:h804 doi: 10.1136/bmj.h804 (Published 11 February 2015)
Page 1 of 2
News
NEWS UK spending on health doubled in past 20 years Nigel Hawkes London
Spending on health has been the biggest gainer in the United Kingdom in the past 20 years, more than doubling in real terms and outstripping all other major public spending, the Office for National Statistics has reported in an article on its new Visual ONS website.1
Defence spending was among the biggest losers, falling in real terms and as a proportion of all public spending, from 8.7% in 1993-94 to 5.4% in 2013-14. The “peace dividend” from the end of the Cold War has thus been spent in large part on increasing health spending. Welfare and education have also benefited but to a lesser degree.
The data show that total UK government spending on health was £57.6bn (€77.5bn; $87.7bn) in 1993-94 and that by 2013-14 it had reached £129.4bn. Both these figures use the 2013-14 value of the pound and so reflect real increases, not just inflation. As a proportion of total spending, health rose from 13.5% to 19.2% over the period, while education rose from 12.8% to 13.4% (figure⇓). To put the comparison in cash terms, in 1993-94 the UK spent £3bn a year more on health than on education, whereas today the gap is almost £40bn. Pensions and benefits were and remain the largest chunk of spending (£154bn in 1993-94 and £250.6bn in 2013-14), but
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growth as a proportion of all public spending has been modest, just a single percentage point (36.2% to 37.2%).
The money spent on health in 2013-14 was overwhelmingly consumed by the delivery of healthcare, with only 3.7% going to central services (management) and 0.7% to research, a sharp decline over the past few years, since in 2010-11 research accounted for as much as 1.5% and in 2012-13 for 1.1%.2
The health spending data are backed by an earlier Office for National Statistics report, released last April, which showed that public spending on health had recovered more quickly since the recession than private spending, which includes prescription goods and hospital and dental services.3 This sector of spending rose by 50% between 1997 and 2007 but declined by 2.4% between 2007 and 2012. 1 2 3
Office for National Statistics. Spending on public services in the UK. 10 Feb 2015. http:/ /visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-perspectives-public-services-in-the-uk. Torjesen I. National academies call for investment in scientific research to be almost doubled to 3% of GDP. BMJ 2015;350:h776. Office for National Statistics. Healthcare spending in the UK 2012. 30 Apr 2014. www. ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/psa/expenditure-on-healthcare-in-the-uk/2012/info-healthcare-spending. html.
Cite this as: BMJ 2015;350:h804 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2015
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BMJ 2015;350:h804 doi: 10.1136/bmj.h804 (Published 11 February 2015)
Page 2 of 2
NEWS
Figure
For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
Page 1 of 2
News
NEWS UK spending on health doubled in past 20 years Nigel Hawkes London
Spending on health has been the biggest gainer in the United Kingdom in the past 20 years, more than doubling in real terms and outstripping all other major public spending, the Office for National Statistics has reported in an article on its new Visual ONS website.1
Defence spending was among the biggest losers, falling in real terms and as a proportion of all public spending, from 8.7% in 1993-94 to 5.4% in 2013-14. The “peace dividend” from the end of the Cold War has thus been spent in large part on increasing health spending. Welfare and education have also benefited but to a lesser degree.
The data show that total UK government spending on health was £57.6bn (€77.5bn; $87.7bn) in 1993-94 and that by 2013-14 it had reached £129.4bn. Both these figures use the 2013-14 value of the pound and so reflect real increases, not just inflation. As a proportion of total spending, health rose from 13.5% to 19.2% over the period, while education rose from 12.8% to 13.4% (figure⇓). To put the comparison in cash terms, in 1993-94 the UK spent £3bn a year more on health than on education, whereas today the gap is almost £40bn. Pensions and benefits were and remain the largest chunk of spending (£154bn in 1993-94 and £250.6bn in 2013-14), but
For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
growth as a proportion of all public spending has been modest, just a single percentage point (36.2% to 37.2%).
The money spent on health in 2013-14 was overwhelmingly consumed by the delivery of healthcare, with only 3.7% going to central services (management) and 0.7% to research, a sharp decline over the past few years, since in 2010-11 research accounted for as much as 1.5% and in 2012-13 for 1.1%.2
The health spending data are backed by an earlier Office for National Statistics report, released last April, which showed that public spending on health had recovered more quickly since the recession than private spending, which includes prescription goods and hospital and dental services.3 This sector of spending rose by 50% between 1997 and 2007 but declined by 2.4% between 2007 and 2012. 1 2 3
Office for National Statistics. Spending on public services in the UK. 10 Feb 2015. http:/ /visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-perspectives-public-services-in-the-uk. Torjesen I. National academies call for investment in scientific research to be almost doubled to 3% of GDP. BMJ 2015;350:h776. Office for National Statistics. Healthcare spending in the UK 2012. 30 Apr 2014. www. ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/psa/expenditure-on-healthcare-in-the-uk/2012/info-healthcare-spending. html.
Cite this as: BMJ 2015;350:h804 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2015
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
BMJ 2015;350:h804 doi: 10.1136/bmj.h804 (Published 11 February 2015)
Page 2 of 2
NEWS
Figure
For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
