12/09/2026
💷 THE £25,800 QUESTION…
Here’s an interesting way of looking at the UK’s finances.
🇬🇧 Total UK government expenditure is around £1.42 TRILLION a year.
👥 There are approximately 55 MILLION adults aged 18+ living in the UK.
Divide one by the other and you get:
👉 £25,818 per adult, per year
That’s roughly:
📅 £2,152 per month
📆 £496 per week
👤 For every adult in the UK
Of course, that doesn’t mean every adult actually pays £25,818 in tax. The Government receives money from Income Tax, National Insurance, VAT, Corporation Tax and many other taxes and revenues.
But it does put the sheer scale of public spending into perspective.
And remember — government expenditure is currently higher than government receipts, with the difference funded through borrowing.
As accountants, we’re used to looking at businesses in a simple way:
What comes in? What goes out? And is it sustainable?
Perhaps it’s an interesting way to look at the country’s finances too.
What do you think — does £25,818 per adult surprise you?
