Key findings
- In 2023-24, 438 quangos collectively accounted for £391 billion in public expenditure. This is equivalent to 32 per cent of total managed expenditure in 2023-24.
- Quangos received £411 billion in total income in 2023-24. Of this, £376 billion was government funded income.
- In 2023-24, there were almost 500,000 staff members working in quangos.
- Tony Blair created the most quangos of any prime minister at 92 in total, equivalent to 9 each year he was in office. Blair is followed by John Major with 55 and David Cameron with 54. A total of 30 prime ministers have created at least one quango. The last prime minister, in office for a full year, who did not create a new quango was Sir Anthony Eden who was in office from 1955-57.
- The Department for Culture, Media and Sport sponsors the most quangos of any department in 2023-24, at 41. It is followed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at 38 and the Ministry of Justice at 35.