In 2024, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United Kingdom grew by 0.9 percent and is expected to grow by just one percent in 2025 and by 1.9 percent in 2026. Growth is expected to slow down to 1.8 percent in 2027, and then grow by 1.7, and 1.8 percent in 2027 and 2028 respectively. The sudden emergence of COVID-19 in 2020 and subsequent closure of large parts of the economy were the cause of the huge 9.4 percent contraction in 2020, with the economy recovering somewhat in 2021, when the economy grew by 7.6 percent. UK slips into recession in late 2023 In the last two quarters of 2023, the UK economy shrank by 0.1 percent in Q3 and by 0.3 percent in Q4, plunging the UK into recession for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before this latest recession, however, the UK economy has been struggling with weak growth. In the eight quarters between 2022 and 2023, the economy grew in just half of them, falling in three, and stagnating in one. As the UK gears up for a likely general election in 2024, the economy has consistently been seen as one of the most important issues to people in Britain, ahead of health, immigration and the environment. As for which political party would handle the economy better, the ruling-Conservative party have trailed the Labour Party on this issue in polls since October 2022. High inflation persisting longer than expected One of the main factors that explains the UK's economic woes recently is rising prices. UK inflation accelerated sharply from late 2021 onwards, and reached a peak of 11.1 percent in October 2022. Unfortunately for UK residents, wage growth has only recently caught up with inflation, with wages in real terms falling throughout for twenty months between November 2021 and June 2023. By January 2024, inflation had fallen to the more modest rate of four percent, but getting inflation down to such levels came at a price. The Bank of England raised interest rates throughout 2022 and 2023, which certainly played a part in the UK's weak economic performance during that time.

The economy of the United Kingdom is expected to fall by 35 percent in the second quarter of 2020, following the Coronavirus outbreak and closure of several businesses. According to the forecast the economy will bounce back in the third quarter of 2020, based on a scenario where the lockdown lasts for three months, with social distancing gradually phased out over a subsequent three-month period.

Across the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the European Union, gross domestic products (GDP) decreased in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, by 2021, growth rates were positive in all four areas again. The United Kingdom, Germany, and the European Union all experiencing slow economic growth in 2023 amid high inflation, with Germany even seeing an economic recession. GDP and its components GDP refers to the total market value of all goods and services that are produced within a country per year. It is composed of government spending, consumption, business investments and net exports. It is an important indicator to measure the economic strength of a country. Economists rely on a variety of factors when predicting future performance of the GDP. Inflation rate is one of the economic indicators providing insight into the future behavior of households, which make up a significant proportion of GDP. Projections are based on the past performance of such information. Future considerations Some factors can be more easily predicted than others. For example, projections of the annual inflation rate of the United States are easy to come by. However, the intensity and impact of something like Brexit is difficult to predict. Moreover, the occurrence and impact of events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine is difficult to foresee. Hence, actual GDP growth may be higher or lower than the original estimates.

A recent analysis on the impact of Brexit suggests that in 2023, the United Kingdom's economy was 2.5 percent smaller than it would have been in a base scenario where the UK never left the EU. The estimated hit to the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) increases to three percent in 2024, and to 3.2 percent by 2025 in this forecast. UK economy starts 2024 strongly As of March 2024, the UK economy is approximately 2.6 percent larger than it was just before the COVID-19 pandemic, which delivered a sudden and severe economic shock to the country in early 2020. While the initial bounce back from this collapse was robust, the recovery slowed by the end of 2020, and it wasn't until late 2021 that the economy returned to its pre-pandemic size. Throughout 2022 and 2023, the economy continued to struggle, and even experienced a recession at the end of 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, however, the UK economy grew by 0.6 percent, the fastest quarterly growth since late 2021, and a potential sign that the UK economy has turned a corner. How voters feel about Brexit in 2024 Since the middle of 2021, a growing majority of voters in Britain have advised that they think Brexit was the wrong decision. As of May 2024, around 55 percent thought it was wrong to leave the EU, compared with just 43 percent in April 2021. By comparison, the share of Britons who think Brexit was the right decision has fallen from 46 percent to 31 percent in the same time period. Voters are, however, still quite divided on what relationship they want with the EU, with only 31 percent supporting rejoining completely. Furthermore, Brexit has fallen behind other issues for voters such as the economy, the NHS, and immigration and will play a much smaller role in the 2024 election than it did in 2019.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United Kingdom was worth 3380.85 billion US dollars in 2023, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of the United Kingdom represents 3.21 percent of the world economy. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The United Kingdom's economy grew by 0.9 percent in 2024, after a growth rate of 0.4 percent in 2023, 4.8 percent in 2022, 8.6 percent in 2021, and a record 10.3 percent fall in 2020. During the provided time period, the biggest annual fall in gross domestic product before 2020 occurred in 2009, when the UK economy contracted by 4.6 percent at the height of the global financial crisis of the late 2000s. Before 2021, the year with the highest annual GDP growth rate was 1973, when the UK economy grew by 6.5 percent. UK economy growing but GDP per capita falling In 2022, the UK's GDP per capita amounted to approximately 37,371 pounds, with this falling to 37,028 pounds in 2023, and 36,977 pounds in 2024. While the UK economy as a whole grew during this time, the UK's population grew at a faster rate, resulting in the negative growth in GDP per capita. This suggests the UK economy's struggles with productivity are not only stagnating, but getting worse. The relatively poor economic performance of the UK in recent years has not gone unnoticed by the electorate, with the economy consistently seen as the most important issue for voters since 2022. Recent shocks to UK economy In the second quarter of 2020, the UK economy shrank by a record 20.3 percent at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there was a relatively swift economic recovery initially, the economy has struggled to grow much beyond its pre-pandemic size, and was only around 3.1 percent larger in December 2024, when compared with December 2019. Although the labor market has generally been quite resilient during this time, a long twenty-month period between 2021 and 2023 saw prices rise faster than wages, and inflation surge to a high of 11.1 percent in October 2022.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the quarterly gross domestic product of the United Kingdom was approximately, 641 billion British pounds, compared with around 632.4 billion pounds in the same quarter. The large dip in GDP that can be seen in the second quarter of 2020 saw the UK economy fall from 604.7 billion pounds to 481.8 billion, with more usual levels of output not recovering until well into 2021. The COVID-19 lockdowns enacted by the UK government at that time was the main reason for this large fall in GDP. Growth lagging as UK heads into 2025 After ending 2023 in recession, the UK economy started 2024 with the strongest quarterly GDP growth in several years, growing by 0.7 percent in the first quarter, and then by 0.4 percent in the second quarter. Economic growth in the second half of the year was, however, far less promising, with GDP flatlining in the third quarter, and monthly GDP shrinking by 0.1 percent in September and then again in October. Although GDP is still forecast to grow in 2025, the overall economic picture is precarious. In November, UK inflation rose to 2.6 percent, compared with just 1.7 percent in September, while the labor market continues to show signs of cooling after a period of high job vacancies and low unemployment. Labour pinning hopes on long-term growth After winning its first general election in 19 years in 2024, the Labour Government has seen its approval ratings plummet in its first few months in office. This shaky start is partly due to a government strategy of making unpopular decisions early in their tenure, which they hope will eventually encourage stable economic growth in the mid to long-term. By far the least popular policy was the withdrawal of winter fuel benefits for a significant number of pensioners, a cost-cutting measure deemed necessary due to the UK's vulnerable public finance position, with government debt at around 100 percent of GDP. A further measure introduced was a national insurance tax increase for employers, with almost half of UK firms citing increased taxes as their main external concern in Q3 2024. Avoiding any further tax rises or cuts to services will depend on if policies in other areas, such as planning reform, will kickstart the UK economy in time before the next election.

Key information about United Kingdom Real GDP Growth

• The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in United Kingdom expanded 0.4 % YoY in Dec 2022, following a growth of 1.9 % in the previous quarter.
• Real GDP Growth YoY data in UK is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1956 to Dec 2022, with an average rate of 2.2 %.
• The data reached an all-time high of 24.4 % in Jun 2021 and a record low of -22.6 % in Jun 2020.

• In the latest reports, Nominal GDP of UK reached 744.4 USD bn in Dec 2022.
• Its GDP deflator (implicit price deflator) increased 6.6 % in Dec 2022.
• GDP Per Capita in UK reached 46,373.9 USD in Dec 2021.
• Its Gross Savings Rate was measured at 16.3 % in Sep 2022.
• For Nominal GDP contributions, Investment accounted for 16.7 % in Sep 2022.
• Public Consumption accounted for 20.8 % in Sep 2022.
• Private Consumption accounted for 62.9 % in Sep 2022.

The gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of all major economies included except China was negative in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. Growth rates were positive again in 2021, but stagnated in some countries in 2023 amid high inflation rates. What does GDP measure? GDP is the sum of all consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports in an economy. As such, different things drive the growth of each of these countries. Germany benefits from a high value of net exports, also known as its trade balance. Drawbacks of GDP growth as a metric GDP measures growth, but it does not capture welfare gains correctly in many cases. For example, carbon dioxide emissions often go hand in hand with a growing GDP. These emissions are from industry, such as coal power plants, or consumption, such as driving cars, but GDP does not measure the damage from these activities. Also, national debt is not incorporated into GDP.

Annual and quarterly data for UK gross domestic product (GDP) estimates, in chained volume measures and current market prices.

In 2024, the annual unemployment rate of the United Kingdom is expected to be 4.3 percent, compared with four percent in 2023. Unemployment is forecast to fall to 4.1 percent in 2025, before falling again to four percent in 2026. A common indicator of an economy’s relative health, the unemployment rate has generally been falling in the United Kingdom since its 2011 peak of 8.1 percent. Uptick in unemployment in 2023 In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom grew steadily, from just 3.9 percent at the start of 2020, to 5.1 percent by the end of the year. This was followed by a steep decline in unemployment that lasted until August 2022, when the unemployment rate was just 3.5 percent. There was a slight uptick in unemployment following this low, with the unemployment rate rising to 4.3 percent the following July. This has been matched by a fall in the number of UK job vacancies, which reached a peak of 1.3 million in May 2022, but has been falling in every subsequent month, with approximately 932,000 vacancies in January 2024. Other UK key economic indicators Although the UK's labor market was quite well protected from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, other parts of the economy took a more severe hit. The initial lockdown measures resulted in a huge fall to UK GDP, in April 2020 which took over a year to reach its pre-pandemic size. Economic growth has remained sluggish ever since the initial recovery, with the UK economy alternating between weak growth and slight contractions. The UK even entered a technical recession at the end of 2023, following two quarters of negative growth. Inflation also skyrocketed from late 2021 onwards, reaching a peak of 11.1 percent in October 2022. Even one year after that peak, inflation has proven stubborn to get down, with a rate of 4.6 percent in October 2023.

The statistic shows the GDP of the United Kingdom between 1987 and 2023, with projections up until 2029, in US dollars.Private-sector-led economic recoveryGDP is counted among the primary indicators that are used to gauge the state of health of a national economy. GDP is the total value of all completed goods and services that have been produced within a country in a given period of time, usually a year. GDP figures allow us to gain a broader understanding of a country’s economy in a clear way. Real GDP, in a similar way, is also a rather useful indicator; this is a measurement that takes prices changes (inflation and deflation) into account, thereby acting as a key indicator for economic growth.The gross domestic product of the United Kingdom is beginning to show signs of recovery since seeing a sharp decline in the wake of the financial crisis. The decreasing unemployment rate in the United Kingdom is also indicating that the worst could be over for the country. However, some concerns have arisen about what forms of employment are being represented, how stable the jobs are, and whether or not they are simply being cited by officials in government as validation for reforms that are criticized by opponents as being ‘ideologically motivated’. Whatever the political motivation, the coalition government’s efforts to let the private sector lead the economic recovery through increasing employment in the UK in the private sector appear, for now at least, to be working.

Key information about UK GDP Deflator Growth

• United Kingdom GDP deflator (implicit price deflator) increased 6.6 % in Dec 2022, compared with an increase of 6.4 % in the previous quarter.
• UK GDP Deflator Growth data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1956 to Dec 2022, with an average rate of 3.7 %.
• The data reached an all-time high of 27.6 % in Jun 1975 and a record low of -5.0 % in Jun 2021.

• In the latest reports, United Kingdom GDP expanded 0.4 % YoY in Dec 2022.
• Its Nominal GDP reached 744.4 USD bn in Dec 2022.
• UK GDP Per Capita reached 46,373.9 USD in Dec 2021.
• Its Gross Savings Rate was measured at 16.3 % in Sep 2022.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United Kingdom expanded 1.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 over the same quarter of the previous year. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom GDP Annual Growth Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Inflation Rate in the United Kingdom decreased to 2.80 percent in February from 3 percent in January of 2025. This dataset provides - United Kingdom Inflation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

United Kingdom BOE Forecast: Real GDP: YoY: Exports data was reported at 1.250 % in 2021. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.250 % for 2020. United Kingdom BOE Forecast: Real GDP: YoY: Exports data is updated yearly, averaging 1.250 % from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2021, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.250 % in 2017 and a record low of -0.750 % in 2014. United Kingdom BOE Forecast: Real GDP: YoY: Exports data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of England. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.A010: ESA 2010: GDP: by Expenditure: Year on Year Growth: Forecast.

Unemployment Rate in the United Kingdom remained unchanged at 4.40 percent in January. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Key information about United Kingdom Nominal GDP

• United Kingdom Nominal GDP reached 744.4 USD bn in Dec 2022, compared with 735.9 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• Nominal GDP in UK is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1957 to Dec 2022, with an average number of 265.5 USD bn.
• The data reached an all-time high of 812.6 USD bn in Mar 2022 and a record low of 15.1 USD bn in Mar 1957.

• In the latest reports, UK GDP expanded 0.4 % YoY in Dec 2022.
• Its GDP deflator (implicit price deflator) increased 6.6 % in Dec 2022.
• UK GDP Per Capita reached 46,373.9 USD in Dec 2021.
• Its Gross Savings Rate was measured at 16.3 % in Sep 2022.
• For Nominal GDP contributions, Investment accounted for 16.7 % in Sep 2022.
• Public Consumption accounted for 20.8 % in Sep 2022.
• Private Consumption accounted for 62.9 % in Sep 2022.

The statistic shows the growth rate in the real GDP in the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. In 2023, the rate of GDP growth in the United Kingdom was at around 0.34 percent compared to the previous year.The economy of the United KingdomGDP is used an indicator as to the shape of a national economy. It is one of the most regularly called upon measurements regarding the economic fitness of a country. GDP is the total market value of all final goods and services that have been produced in a country within a given period of time, usually a year. Inflation adjusted real GDP figures serve as an even more telling indication of a country’s economic state in that they act as a more reliable and clear tool as to a nation’s economic health. The gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in the United Kingdom has started to level in recent years after taking a huge body blow in the financial collapse of 2008. The UK managed to rise from the state of dark desperation it was in between 2009 and 2010, from -3.97 to 1.8 percent. The country suffered acutely from the collapse of the banking industry, raising a number of questions within the UK with regards to the country’s heavy reliance on revenues coming from London's financial sector, arguably the most important in the world and one of the globe’s financial command centers. Since the collapse of the post-war consensus and the rise of Thatcherism, the United Kingdom has been swept along in a wave of individualism - collective ideals have been abandoned and the mass privatisation of the heavy industries was unveiled - opening them up to market competition and shifting the economic focus to that of service.The Big Bang policy, one of the cornerstones of the Thatcher government programs of reform, involved mass and sudden deregulation of financial markets. This led to huge changes in the way the financial markets in London work, and saw the many old firms being absorbed by big banks. This, one could argue, strengthened the UK financial sector greatly and while frivolous and dangerous practices brought the sector into great disrepute, the city of London alone brings in around one fifth of the countries national income making it a very prominent contributor to wealth in the UK.