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Defence: Expenditure

Volume 704: debated on Wednesday 15 October 2008

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proportion of gross domestic product was spent on defence in each financial year from 1997-98 to 2007-08. [HL5459]

The percentage of UK gross domestic product spent on defence is set out in table 4.4 of HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2008 (HC 489) as follows:

Year

Percentage of GDP (outturn)

1997-98

2.6

1998-99

2.8

1999-00

2.7

2000-01

2.6

2001-02

2.5

2002-03

2.5

2003-04

2.5

2004-05

2.5

2005-06

2.5

2006-07

2.4

2007-08 (estimated)

2.4