GDP ‘grew robustly’ by 0.7% in third quarter and by 0.2% month on month in September despite high oil prices
AI helped the UK defy expectations – but will Britain’s resilience fizzle out?
The UK economy grew by 0.7% in the third quarter, its fastest expansion in two and a half years, as the rollout of AI services increased activity.
The Office for National Statistics reported that the economy “grew robustly” in the July to September quarter, almost entirely due to strong and widespread growth in the services sector, led by the IT sector.
The quarterly growth rate matched economists’ expectations, and was the fastest recorded since the first three months of 2024, when GDP also rose by 0.7%.
In a boost to the chancellor, John Healey, the ONS also said the economy grew by 0.2% in September, though the ONS revised down the growth rate in August from 0.1% to zero. September’s data beat forecasts of zero growth in the month.
The UK’s information and communication sector grew by 2.1% in the quarter, mainly driven by increases in computer programming, consultancy and related activities. This industry has been the largest driver of GDP growth across 2026, the ONS reported, adding that the businesses related to AI and cloud computing have been reporting the largest increases in turnover.
