UK public spending, 2025-26

£1m covers interest on the national debt for 5 min 23 sec

Interest on the national debt costs £97.6bn a year — £267m a day, or £3,093 every second.

Your £1m is 0.00102% of the annual bill

Source: ONS: central government debt interest payable 2025-26, £97.6bn. Assumes the money goes out evenly through the year.

£1m on the clock

The same £1m elsewhere

Budget	Lasts
The whole UK governmentruns	23 seconds
The NHSruns	2 min 35 sec
The state pensionpays	3 min 37 sec
Social protection (all benefits and pensions)pays	83 seconds
Schools and educationruns	5 min 32 sec
Defence (day-to-day)runs	13 min 29 sec
The deficitplugs	4 min 7 sec
HMRC's takematches	34 seconds
The monarchy (Sovereign Grant)runs	2 days 18 hr