The UK economy grew by 0.6% during the first quarter of 2026, in line with both the preliminary estimate published last month and economists’ expectations, according to figures released on Tuesday by the UK’s statistics agency.
The latest quarterly expansion followed an upwardly revised 0.1% increase in gross domestic product during the final quarter of 2025. Growth was recorded across all three main sectors of the economy, with the services sector providing the strongest contribution after expanding by 0.8%.
GDP per person rises despite weaker household finances
Real gross domestic product per person increased by 0.6% during the January-to-March period and was 0.7% higher than in the first quarter of 2025.
The data also included revisions to annual economic growth, with GDP growth for 2025 lowered to 1.3% from the previous estimate of 1.4%. The 2024 growth figure was left unchanged at 1.0%.
Household income and savings decline
Despite stronger economic output, real household disposable income per person fell by 0.8% during the first quarter, reversing a 1.2% increase recorded in the previous three months.
The household saving ratio also declined by 0.7 percentage points to 8.9%, reflecting lower non-pension saving contributions.
Statistical revisions
The Office for National Statistics also made minor revisions to quarterly GDP figures across 2025 following updated source data and changes to seasonal adjustment methods. The revisions, which ranged by 0.1 percentage points in either direction, covered quarterly data from the first quarter of 2024 through to the first quarter of 2026.
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