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Introduction Chronic viral hepatitis B (HepB) and hepatitis C (HepC) are among the leading causes of liver disease worldwide, particularly in developing nations, and imposes a significant burden due to the long-term complications including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Accordingly, it is imperative to evaluate the temporal trends in the incidence and burden of HepB and HepC as it enables risk stratification and implementation of public health measures to tackle the associated burden.Methods Data including the age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR) and the age-standardised Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) rate (ASDR) of chronic HepB and HepC in the United Kingdom (UK) for the period 1990-2023 were retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease database. The Annual Percent Change (APC) and the Average Annual Percent Change (AAPC) were calculated using Joinpoint regression analysis. Further stratification into the four nations of the UK; England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland along with the regions within England was performed to evaluate for any national differences.Results Over the period 1990-2023, an estimated total of 288,930 chronic HepB cases and 883,287 chronic HepC cases were reported in the UK. Male predominance of 57.4% was observed in chronic HepB, whereas a female predominance of 52.6% was observed in chronic HepC. Interestingly, a statistically significant increase in chronic HepC ASIR was observed in the UK with an AAPC of 0.13 (95%CI 0.04 to 0.21, p=0.003) while chronic HepB experienced a statistically significant decline in the ASIR with an AAPC of -1.11 (95%CI -1.15 to -1.07, p<0.001). Across the four nations, a variation was observed between chronic HepB and HepC. All four nations experienced a statistically significant decline in chronic HepB ASIR with Northern Ireland experiencing the highest level of decline (AAPC -2.04, 95%CI -2.11 to -1.98, p<0.001). In contrast, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland experienced a statistically significant incline in chronic HepC ASIR with the highest level of increase being observed in the latter with an AAPC of 0.88 (95%CI 0.87 to 0.89, p<0.001). England experienced a statistically non-significant increase in chronic HepC ASIR with an AAPC of 0.05 (95%CI -0.05 to 0.14, p=0.3).In terms of disease burden, both chronic HepB and HepC encountered a statistically significant increase in the ASDR with an AAPC of 2.25 and 1.97, respectively.Conclusions Overall, the UK witnessed a significant increase in chronic hepatitis C incidence and disease burden while experiencing a decline in the incidence of chronic hepatitis B that was coupled with a significant increase in disease burden. These worrisome findings warrant prompt recognition to tackle the resulting burden.