Statistics Jersey has released its latest report on general government expenditure for 2025, providing a detailed analysis of how public funds were allocated across key areas of government activity. The report uses the internationally recognised Classification of the Functions of Government (COFOG) system, enabling comparisons across jurisdictions and over time. The 2025 report also highlights the growing influence of demographic change on government spending, particularly in health and social protection.
Key highlights from the 2025 report:
- Total general government expenditure rose by 2.9% or £53.9 million in real terms to £1.89 billion, a slower increase than the 5.0% increase recorded in 2024.
- The largest increases in spending were seen in:
- Health (+£29.6 million), driven by increased expenditure on outpatient and hospital services.
- Social protection (+£19.3 million), driven by higher spending on old age pensions and sickness and disability benefits.
- Economic affairs (+£8.6 million), reflecting increased business support, including the Better Business Support Package, and support for tourism and transport links.
- 73% of all government spending was concentrated in social protection, health and education. Taken together, the health division and the old age, sickness and disability groups within the social protection division accounted for almost half (49.4%) of all general government expenditure, highlighting the significance of demographic changes in shaping overall spending levels.
International comparisons
Using the latest internationally comparable data available for OECD countries (2024):
- Jersey’s total government expenditure as a proportion of GDP was lower than all OECD countries except Chile and Ireland.
- Jersey allocated a higher proportion of its total spending to health than any OECD country, although health expenditure as a proportion of GDP remained lower than in several countries, including the UK.