31st Mar 2026 07:27
(Alliance News) - The UK grew as expected in the fourth quarter, the Office for National Statistics reported on Tuesday.
UK real gross domestic product is estimated to have increased by an unrevised 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2025, unchanged from 0.1% in the third quarter and in line with FXStreet-cited consensus.
On an annual basis, GDP rose 1%, also in line with consensus and unchanged from the prior quarter.
GDP is estimated to have increased by 1.4% annually in 2025, revised up from 1.3%, the ONS said, following unrevised growth of 1.1% in 2024.
It said real GDP per head is estimated to have decreased by 0.1% in the latest quarter, but is up by 0.6% compared with the same quarter a year ago. It is estimated to have increased by 1.1% annually in 2025, compared with no growth in 2024.
Total business investment for the fourth quarter fell 2.5% on-quarter, however better than consensus expectations for a larger 2.7% drop. The prior quarter showed growth of 1.1%, revised from a 2.7% decline.
Investment rose 2% annually, as expected, but growth slowed from 3.5%, revised upwards from 2%, in the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, the ONS announced that the underlying UK current account deficit excluding precious metals narrowed to GBP8.4 billion, or 1.1% of gross domestic product, in the fourth quarter of 2025, from GBP9.0 billion in the third quarter.
The UK current account deficit including trade in precious metals meanwhile widened by GBP7.7 billion to GBP18.4 billion, or 2.4% of GDP, in the fourth quarter. It was however lower than the consensus of a sharper increase to GBP23.4 billion.
By Emma Curzon, Alliance News reporter
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