On most measures the public sector comprises a larger share of the economy in Scotland than in the rest of the UK. However the size of the public sector can be measured in different ways including public expenditure expressed as a percentage of economic output, government current consumption as a share of all current consumption and public sector employment as a share of all employment. This briefing explains these terms, provides Scottish data for each measure, shows how the data have changed over recent years, and provides comparisons with the whole of the UK.
Read SPICe briefing: SB 10-88 The Size of the Public Sector (357KB pdf)
Published: 1 December 2010