UK GDP Growth in March 2026 Led by Services, with Construction and Production Also Rising

Office for National Statistics figures show services output grew 0.8 per cent over the three months to March 2026, making it the largest single driver of UK economic growth.

Services output was the engine of UK growth in the first quarter of 2026, the figures show. Over the three months to March 2026, services grew by 0.8 per cent, compared with 0.4 per cent for construction and 0.2 per cent for production, according to the Office for National Statistics. The ONS confirmed services made the largest contribution to three-month GDP growth across all sectors.

The Confederation of British Industry posted a summary of the data, describing growth as driven primarily by increased services output, with construction and production also contributing.

The monthly picture is more uneven. Construction output jumped 1.5 per cent in March 2026 alone — driven by both new work and repair and maintenance — while services rose 0.3 per cent on the month. But production fell by 0.2 per cent in March, even as it posted modest growth over the full three-month period, suggesting the recovery across sectors wasn’t uniform.

Production’s three-month gain was driven mainly by manufacturing and electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, the ONS said.

For Kent, the sectoral split matters. Businesses in services — retail, professional services, transport, hospitality, and business support — are most directly aligned with the main source of UK growth. Kent’s construction firms may also have seen improved activity in line with the national monthly rise. Manufacturers and industrial employers in the county could point to the broader three-month production gain, though the monthly dip is a caution worth watching.

No Kent-specific equivalent figures have been verified from the available sources, so how closely local conditions tracked the national data remains unclear.