UK missed out on £2tn of investment, study finds

A study carried out by consultancy Oxford Economics has suggested that the UK has missed out on almost £2 trillion in investment in business and infrastructure over the past quarter of a century.

14 Sep 2026

A study carried out by consultancy Oxford Economics has suggested that the UK has missed out on almost £2 trillion in investment in business and infrastructure over the past quarter of a century.

The study, which was commissioned by Getlink, the owner of the Channel Tunnel, found that private investors in Britain pay an 'unpredictability premium' as a result of inconsistent public policy and the rising costs associated with doing business in the UK.

It showed that only Greece has had weaker business investment than the UK in relative terms. The UK invested 18.9% of GDP in 2025 against an average of 22.5% across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

According to Oxford Economics, if the UK had invested at the OECD average, an additional £1.9 trillion would have boosted the economy since the turn of the century.

It said that the burden and design of business taxation; the costs of delivering new capacity; and policy unpredictability have acted as barriers.

Innes McFee, Chief Executive of Oxford Economics, said: 'The UK has been stuck in a low-growth rut since the late-2000s financial crisis, and it has become the country's defining economic problem.'