Key Indicators
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Nine indicators that together tell the story of the UK economy: whether it's growing, what's happening to prices, jobs and pay, what borrowing costs, and where house prices and the public finances stand. Party bands show who was in government - context for the trends, though the global economy rarely respects election dates.
GDP Growth Rate
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The UK economy grew by 0.6% in the first quarter of 2026 (January to March), though it shrank slightly in April. Growth has been weak since 2022, including a brief recession in late 2023.
CPI Inflation
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The latest UK inflation rate is 2.8% (May 2026), down from a peak of 11.1% in October 2022. The Bank of England's target is 2%.
Gross Domestic Product
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The UK economy was worth around £3.0 trillion in 2025, the sixth largest in the world. These figures are not adjusted for inflation.
Unemployment Rate
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The latest UK unemployment rate is 4.9% (February to April 2026), with about 1.76 million people out of work. It has risen gradually since 2022 as hiring slowed.
Labour Productivity
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Output per hour worked, the main driver of long-term pay growth. UK productivity has barely grown since the 2008 financial crisis and lags France, Germany and the US.
Bank of England Base Rate
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The Bank of England base rate is 3.75%, held since early 2026 and down from a peak of 5.25% in 2023. It sets the cost of mortgages, loans and savings.
Real Wage Growth
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Pay is rising faster than prices again: real wages grew 1.3% including bonuses in the three months to April 2026. Wages fell behind inflation through 2022 and have grown little since 2008.
Government Borrowing
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The government borrowed £132 billion in the year to March 2026, about 4.3% of GDP. National debt is around 95% of GDP, close to the size of the whole economy.
Average UK House Price
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The average UK house price was £270,000 in April 2026, up 3.8% over the year. Prices roughly doubled over the past decade but have grown slowly since 2022.
About this data
Every series on this page is pulled directly from official sources - the Office for National Statistics for GDP, inflation, unemployment, productivity, wages and borrowing, the Bank of England for the base rate, and HM Land Registry for house prices - and refreshes automatically as new figures are published. Most series update monthly or quarterly on fixed release dates.
Two habits make official economic data easier to read. First, recent figures are provisional: early GDP and migration-sensitive labour market estimates are routinely revised, so the newest points on any chart are the least certain. Second, where charts carry party bands, they show who was in office - but economic outcomes reflect global conditions and long lags as well as government policy, so bands are context, not attribution.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK inflation rate?
UK inflation was around 2.8% in mid-2026, down from a peak of 11.1% in October 2022. The Bank of England's target is 2%.
What is the current Bank of England base rate?
The Bank of England base rate is 3.75% as of mid-2026, down from a peak of 5.25% in 2023.
What is the average house price in the UK?
The average UK house price is around £270,000, based on HM Land Registry's completed-sales data for 2026.
How often is UK GDP data updated?
The Office for National Statistics publishes a monthly GDP estimate and a more detailed quarterly release. The charts on this page use the official quarterly series and refresh automatically whenever the ONS publishes new or revised figures.
What is the difference between GDP growth and the GDP level?
The growth chart shows the quarterly percentage change in real GDP, which tells you whether the economy is expanding or contracting. The GDP level chart shows total nominal output in pounds, which illustrates the overall size of the economy over time.
What is the Bank of England's inflation target?
The Bank of England has a government-set target of 2% CPI inflation. If inflation moves more than one percentage point above or below the target, the Bank's Governor must write an open letter to the Chancellor explaining why and what the Bank intends to do about it.
How is UK unemployment measured?
Unemployment is estimated from the ONS Labour Force Survey using the international ILO definition: people out of work who have looked for a job in the past four weeks and can start within two weeks. It is not the same as the number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits.
Where does the economic data on this page come from?
Every series is pulled directly from official sources: the Office for National Statistics for GDP, inflation, unemployment, productivity, wages and borrowing; the Bank of England for the base rate; and HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index for house prices. Each chart links to its source series.