In its first quarterly estimate, the ONS reported that UK GDP increased by +0.4% in Q2 2026, following growth of +0.6% in Q1. On an output basis, services output increased by +0.5%, while construction output rose by +0.3%. Production output was unchanged over the quarter.
Within production, manufacturing output increased by +1.0%, while output in “mining & quarrying” rose by +0.2%. These increases were offset by falls in “electricity, gas, steam & air conditioning supply”, which declined by -2.3%, and “water supply; sewerage, waste management & remediation activities”, which fell by -3.7%.
Services output increased by +0.5% in Q2, following growth of +0.8% in Q1, and is estimated to be +1.5% higher than in Q2 2025. Eight of the fourteen services subsectors contributed positively to quarterly growth. The strongest rates of growth were recorded in “information & communication” (+2.7%) and “professional, scientific & technical activities” (+1.7%). The largest negative contribution came from “administrative & support service activities”, where output fell by -0.9%.
Construction output increased by +0.3% in Q2, although it remained -2.0% below its level a year earlier. Both “new work” and “repair & maintenance” increased during the quarter, by +0.4% and +0.2% respectively. Within “new work”, the largest positive contribution came from “infrastructure new work”, which increased by +1.9%. Within “repair & maintenance”, “public housing repair & maintenance” made the largest positive contribution, increasing by +2.5%.
Overall, the Q2 figures indicate that the UK economy continued to expand, although growth remained relatively modest. The performance of manufacturing was notably stronger than that of the wider production sector, while services continued to provide the main source of overall GDP growth. Manufacturing output is covered in more detail in a separate article.
Further detail is available in the range of ONS Statistical Bulletins, which can be downloaded from the ONS website at https://www.ons.gov.uk/releasecalendar (13th August) or on request from MTA.