{"version":"1","article":{"id":"uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026","slug":"uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026","language":"en","url":"https://haberpaper.com/en/news/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026","api_url":"https://haberpaper.com/api/v1/articles/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026?lang=en","title":"UK public borrowing rises to £18.3bn in August","summary":"The ONS said August borrowing exceeded a year earlier and the OBR forecast, while year-to-date borrowing remained below the prior-year period.","category":"fiscal","region":"world","topics":[],"published_at":"2026-10-05T20:14:39+03:00","modified_at":"2026-10-05T20:14:39+03:00","publication_basis":"publication-record","event_period":"2026-08","event_period_basis":"event-or-reference-period","sources":[{"name":"Office for National Statistics","url":"https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicsectorfinance/bulletins/publicsectorfinances/august2026","checkedAt":"2026-10-05","publishedAt":"2026-09-22"}],"translations":[{"language":"tr","url":"https://haberpaper.com/tr/news/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026","api_url":"https://haberpaper.com/api/v1/articles/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026?lang=tr"},{"language":"en","url":"https://haberpaper.com/en/news/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026","api_url":"https://haberpaper.com/api/v1/articles/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026?lang=en"},{"language":"ar","url":"https://haberpaper.com/ar/news/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026","api_url":"https://haberpaper.com/api/v1/articles/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026?lang=ar"},{"language":"fr","url":"https://haberpaper.com/fr/news/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026","api_url":"https://haberpaper.com/api/v1/articles/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026?lang=fr"},{"language":"es","url":"https://haberpaper.com/es/news/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026","api_url":"https://haberpaper.com/api/v1/articles/uk-public-sector-borrowing-august-2026?lang=es"}],"data_types":[],"data":null,"data_compilations":[],"data_downloads":[],"content":{"paragraphs":["The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), in its public-finance bulletin of 22 September, reported public-sector net borrowing of £18.3 billion in August 2026. That was £2.9 billion, or 19%, above August 2025 and £3.5 billion higher than the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast. The ONS attributed the increase to spending growth outpacing the rise in receipts. Borrowing measures the gap between public-sector spending and income; a positive figure represents a deficit. The August amount is not adjusted for inflation and was the second-highest August figure in the ONS record, behind 2020.","Net borrowing for the financial year to August, covering April through August, totalled £77.3 billion. It was £2.2 billion, or 2.7%, below the same period a year earlier, but £8.1 billion above the OBR forecast. The five-month total equalled 2.5% of GDP, the tenth-lowest April-to-August share since comparable monthly records began in 1993. The ONS notes that year-to-date comparisons offer a more reliable view of underlying trends because monthly figures can be more exposed to short-term forecast volatility. Self-assessed income-tax receipts for July and August combined were £18.6 billion, £1.9 billion more than a year before.","Public-sector net debt was provisionally estimated at £2,985.5 billion at the end of August, £78.5 billion more than a year earlier but equivalent to 93.8% of GDP, down 1.3 percentage points year on year. Net financial liabilities, a broader balance-sheet measure, stood at £2,620.4 billion, or 82.3% of GDP. These debt-stock measures differ from borrowing, which is a flow over a period. The ONS said its September release incorporated annual data updates and methodological improvements and that early fiscal estimates may be replaced as more information becomes available. The monthly and financial-year figures are official estimates; the gap against the OBR forecast alone does not establish future budget policy or the outcome of a new decision."],"key_points":[],"sections":[]},"text":"The ONS said August borrowing exceeded a year earlier and the OBR forecast, while year-to-date borrowing remained below the prior-year period.\n\nThe UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), in its public-finance bulletin of 22 September, reported public-sector net borrowing of £18.3 billion in August 2026. That was £2.9 billion, or 19%, above August 2025 and £3.5 billion higher than the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast. The ONS attributed the increase to spending growth outpacing the rise in receipts. Borrowing measures the gap between public-sector spending and income; a positive figure represents a deficit. The August amount is not adjusted for inflation and was the second-highest August figure in the ONS record, behind 2020.\n\nNet borrowing for the financial year to August, covering April through August, totalled £77.3 billion. It was £2.2 billion, or 2.7%, below the same period a year earlier, but £8.1 billion above the OBR forecast. The five-month total equalled 2.5% of GDP, the tenth-lowest April-to-August share since comparable monthly records began in 1993. The ONS notes that year-to-date comparisons offer a more reliable view of underlying trends because monthly figures can be more exposed to short-term forecast volatility. Self-assessed income-tax receipts for July and August combined were £18.6 billion, £1.9 billion more than a year before.\n\nPublic-sector net debt was provisionally estimated at £2,985.5 billion at the end of August, £78.5 billion more than a year earlier but equivalent to 93.8% of GDP, down 1.3 percentage points year on year. Net financial liabilities, a broader balance-sheet measure, stood at £2,620.4 billion, or 82.3% of GDP. These debt-stock measures differ from borrowing, which is a flow over a period. The ONS said its September release incorporated annual data updates and methodological improvements and that early fiscal estimates may be replaced as more information becomes available. The monthly and financial-year figures are official estimates; the gap against the OBR forecast alone does not establish future budget policy or the outcome of a new decision.","corrections":[],"editorial_illustration":{"kind":"symbolic-editorial-illustration","documentary":false,"scope":"section","asset_id":"fiscal","url":"https://haberpaper.com/assets/illustrations/fiscal-1536.webp","width":1536,"height":1024,"alt":"Symbolic public finance illustration with a civic building, balanced scale and closed books.","language":"en"},"section_illustration":{"kind":"symbolic-editorial-illustration","documentary":false,"scope":"section","asset_id":"fiscal","url":"https://haberpaper.com/assets/illustrations/fiscal-1536.webp","width":1536,"height":1024,"alt":"Symbolic public finance illustration with a civic building, balanced scale and closed books.","language":"en"}}}