UK GDP per head, annual growth
UK GDP per head, annual growth stood at 1.2% in Q2 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Quarterly GDP table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 1956 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Quarterly GDP table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP level and GDP per head | |||||||||||
| GDP per head, growth on a year earlier | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.4 | -0.3 | -0.9 | |
| GDP, chained volume measure | 712,545 | 709,598 | 705,160 | 704,802 | 704,274 | 703,178 | 699,169 | 696,154 | 694,910 | 690,620 |
Understanding UK GDP per head, annual growth
Percentage change over four quarters in real economic output per resident across the United Kingdom is tracked by this annual growth indicator. By evaluating constant price GDP per head against the exact same quarter a year earlier, it indicates whether productive expansion per person is gathering pace or contracting on an annualised basis. It differs from quarter-on-quarter percentage changes by smoothing out idiosyncratic quarterly blips and short-term volatility.
Because this series uses a year-on-year calculation on seasonally adjusted data, it remains vulnerable to base effects, where an unusually depressed or elevated baseline quarter twelve months earlier artificially swings the current reading. Revisions to either the chained volume GDP numerator or the demographic denominator can alter recent quarters noticeably. Analysts comparing this growth rate to headline GDP growth can immediately identify the net contribution of demographic expansion to total economic growth.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a negative percentage reading in this series indicate?
- A negative figure means that the volume of real economic output per resident was lower than in the identical quarter of the preceding year.
- How do base effects influence this year-on-year growth metric?
- An abnormal shock in the comparison quarter twelve months prior will distort the current percentage change regardless of recent quarterly performance.
- Is this growth rate calculated from nominal or constant price figures?
- It is derived entirely from constant price, chained volume GDP per head to measure real output changes rather than inflation.