;
COVID-19 SERVICE: We are heightening our efforts to assist the UK retail & leisure industry through this challenging period. Explore this service now… COVID-19 SERVICE

Monthly GDP September 2025

  • UK GDP edged up by 0.1% in the three months to September 2025, showing only a modest improvement following a weaker three-month period to June 2025.
  • Monthly GDP slipped by 0.1% in September, following a flat reading in August after revisions.
  • Services continued to underpin growth, rising 0.2% over the quarter. The strongest contributions came from arts, entertainment and recreation (3.5%), public administration and defence (0.8%), and real estate activities (0.3%). Offsetting this were declines in professional, scientific and technical activities (-0.6%), accommodation and food services (-0.4%), and other service activities (-3.4%), highlighting ongoing weakness across parts of the consumer economy.
  • Production output contracted by 0.5% in the three months to September, driven by pronounced weakness in manufacturing. The manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers fell 10.3% over the period, weighing heavily on the sector. Construction output rose 0.1%, with gains in repair and maintenance (0.6%) partially offset by softer levels of new work (-0.2%).
  • Consumer-facing services dipped by 0.1% in the three months to September, with the decline driven primarily by falls in other personal service activities (-5.1%), travel agencies and tour operators (-5.0%), and accommodation (-1.1%). Retail activity supported the sector, with retail trade up around 0.9% and wholesale & retail (including motor vehicle repair) up 2.1%, but this was not enough to offset weakness elsewhere.
  • On a monthly basis, services rose 0.2% in September, supported by stronger activity in wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (1.4%), information and communication (0.8%), and education (0.8%). However, this was more than offset by a 2.0% monthly fall in production, the sharpest decline since January 2021, which pulled overall GDP lower.
  • Administrative and support services delivered uneven performance across the quarter. While broader activity declined, rental and leasing activities surged 7.0%, marking a standout gain within business services. This, however, was insufficient to counter wider sectoral weakness.

Real GDP grew by 0.1% in the three months to September 2025, following three-month on three-month growths of 0.2% in August 2025 and 0.2% in July 2025

Source: ONS

Back to Retail Economic News