New figures show Brits spend more on drugs and prostitutes than beer and wine

From this quarter income the sale of narcotics and sexual services has been included for the first time in calculations of Gross Domestic Product, in order to ensure “comparability in measuring Gross National Income across EU countries”.

The ONS figures show £12.3bn was spent on illegal substances and sexual services in 2013 as opposed to the £11bn that was spent on wine and beer.

The prostitution figures, which are listed under the heading “miscellaneous goods and services”, are based on Home Office studies carried out in London in 2004, which has been scaled up to derive total UK numbers of prostitutes using ONS population statistics. It is estimated that spending on prostitution is £4.3bn a year.

The narcotics estimates, listed under “alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics”, have been compiled using a “demand based estimation process” for the six main categories of drugs -  powder cocaine, crack cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy and imported and home produced cannabis. This illicit trade is worth £6.7bn a year, according to the ONS figures.

The combined figure for drugs and prostitution was calculated by adjusting for inflation.