A History of Britain in Numbers, Episode 2 ‘State Makes War’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b052j579

“For a great part of Britain’s history, was the principal link people had with the state to die for it and to be taxed for the expense?”

Andrew Dilnot, chair of the UK Statistics Authority, 2012-2017

This programme was about the ‘fiscal military state‘.

18th century state spending on defence and war debt: 6 to 7% of GDP.  On all other state expenditure: 2% of GDP.  Over ⅔rds of national income was spent on defence, about the same as in ancient Rome.

During the Napoleonic Wars, %age of GDP spent on warfare: about 30%.  On everything else, about 2%.

Spending on the military during the reign of Queen Victoria, when Britain sustained an empire, 2 to 3% (about £16,000,000 in 1850, equivalent to £1,500,000,00 today).  Currently is is still 2 to 3%, but GDP has increased to about 25 times as much as it was in 1850.