The UK economy grew by 0.4% in Quarter 2 (April to June) of 2026, a figure that aligned with economists' expectations but was lower than the 0.6% growth recorded in Quarter 1 (January to March) of 2026. This growth brought the UK's GDP to 1.2% higher than the same period last year. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) initially reported a 0.1% growth for May, which was later revised to no growth, following an unrevised fall of 0.1% in April, before a 0.3% growth in June, partly attributed to favorable weather and sporting events.
The primary driver of this growth was the services sector, which expanded by 0.5% in Quarter 2. Within services, significant contributions came from information and communication (up 2.7%, mainly due to computer programming, consultancy, and related activities increasing by 3.7%) and professional, scientific, and technical activities (up 1.7%, boosted by advertising and market research, scientific research and development, and legal activities). The construction sector also saw a 0.3% increase, while the production sector reported no growth.
Chancellor John Healey praised the UK for achieving the "fastest growth in the G7 this year," although experts cautioned that maintaining this momentum would be challenging due to ongoing disruptions from the Iran war. The ONS Director of Economic Statistics, Liz McKeown, described the quarterly figures as "relatively robust," highlighting that consumers had weathered recent shocks "remarkably well." However, the government has been warned that economic growth could stagnate next year if the geopolitical tensions persist.
