UK public spending, 2025-26

£1bn runs defence (day-to-day) for 9 days 9 hr

Defence (day-to-day) costs £39bn a year — £107m a day, or £1,236 every second.

Your £1bn is 2.6% of the annual bill

Source: OBR: MoD day-to-day (RDEL) budget 2025-26, £39bn; add ~£20bn+ capital for the full bill. Assumes the money goes out evenly through the year.

£1bn on the clock

The same £1bn elsewhere

Budget	Lasts
The whole UK governmentruns	6 hr 27 min
The NHSruns	42 hr 58 min
The state pensionpays	2 days 12 hr
Social protection (all benefits and pensions)pays	23 hr 8 min
Interest on the national debtcovers	3 days 18 hr
Schools and educationruns	3 days 20 hr
The deficitplugs	2 days 20 hr
HMRC's takematches	9 hr 20 min
The monarchy (Sovereign Grant)runs	7.6 years