How the UK's welfare budget is bigger than Romania's GDP - and is forecast to be larger than Colombia's current national output by 2031

Résumé détaillé

Britain's total benefits bill is also expected to rise to a staggering £431billion in 2031/32, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

Published: 15:06 GMT, 11 November 2026 | Updated: 15:06 GMT, 11 November 2026

The UK's welfare spending is forecast to be an eye-watering £353billion this year - more than the gross domestic product (GDP) of Romania or nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Britain's total benefits bill is also expected to rise to a staggering £431billion in 2031/32, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

This is larger than the current GDP of countries such as Colombia, Malaysia or Vietnam, as estimated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Since becoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has promised to 'get really serious' about reducing the country's ballooning social security costs.

But he has ruled out 'crude cuts' to benefits and is not expected to introduce major welfare reforms until next year.

Even then, those reforms are not expected to start delivering savings for a number of years.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch this week piled pressure on the PM to cut welfare spending by setting out her own plans to slash £36billion from the benefits bill.

She noted how Britain 'is now handing out more than £180billion a year in benefits to working age adults'.

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