UK Reality Check 2026
A shareable summary of what the latest checked data shows about Britain today.
UK Facts · Reality Check 2026
Six figures in context
94.0%
Public debt as a share of GDP
End September 2026. Public sector net debt excluding public sector banks; comparable to the early 1960s, not wartime levels.
ONS Public sector finances
7.37m
NHS waiting list
End August 2026. England only; 7,370,100 pathways, representing about 6.24 million patients. Figures include estimates for non-reporting trusts (Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Torbay and South Devon, University Hospitals Plymouth and Northampton General Hospital did not submit August 2026 data).
NHS England Referral to Treatment statistics
£273,000
Average UK house price
August 2026. UK average, up 0.9% year on year; regional outcomes differ.
HM Land Registry UK House Price Index
171k
Long-term net migration
YE Dec 2025. Provisional; rounded to the nearest 1,000; Official statistics in development; subject to routine revision for roughly 12 months.
ONS Long-term international migration, provisional
3.5%
Consumer price inflation
September 2026. Annual rate of change in consumer prices; a falling rate still means prices are rising, just more slowly.
ONS Consumer Price Inflation
48,774
Recorded offences involving a knife
Year ending March 2026. Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument; England and Wales only; down 8% year on year.
ONS Crime in England and Wales
Open each figure for its source, definitions and caveats. Figures cover different geographies and reporting periods.
This summary and its downloadable poster are generated from the same verified statistics.
The numbers, with the source pages
Every headline stat above links to a full data page with sources, historical context and caveats.
End September 2026. Public sector net debt excluding public sector banks; comparable to the early 1960s, not wartime levels.
ONS Public sector finances
End August 2026. England only; 7,370,100 pathways, representing about 6.24 million patients. Figures include estimates for non-reporting trusts (Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Torbay and South Devon, University Hospitals Plymouth and Northampton General Hospital did not submit August 2026 data).
NHS England Referral to Treatment statistics
August 2026. UK average, up 0.9% year on year; regional outcomes differ.
HM Land Registry UK House Price Index
YE Dec 2025. Provisional; rounded to the nearest 1,000; Official statistics in development; subject to routine revision for roughly 12 months.
ONS Long-term international migration, provisional
September 2026. Annual rate of change in consumer prices; a falling rate still means prices are rising, just more slowly.
ONS Consumer Price Inflation
Year ending March 2026. Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument; England and Wales only; down 8% year on year.
ONS Crime in England and Wales
Page last updated: 26 July 2026. Infographic values reflect the site's verified figures and their sources as at that date. If a stat has since moved materially, the linked topic page is authoritative.