Regional gross domestic product: July to September 2020

Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the value of goods and services produced in the UK. It estimates the size of and growth in the economy.

These are experimental statistics and should be treated with caution. The data can be volatile, and quarterly movements should be considered alongside the long-term trend. 

Change over the shorter term

• GDP in Wales increased by 14.4% in quarter 3 (July to September) 2020 compared with the previous quarter (April to June 2020).
• This is by far the largest quarterly increase since the series began in 2012 but the second smallest increase of the 12 UK countries and English regions. It follows a record decrease of 15.2% between the first and second quarters of 2020.
• For the UK as a whole, GDP increased by 16.9%.
• The construction sector saw an increase of 30.9%. The services and production sectors both also saw increases of 13.3% and 14.8% respectively.
• Agriculture was the only sub-sector to decrease over the quarter in Wales (down 1.0%), whereas Accommodation and Food Services increased the most (up 302.5%).

Change over the longer term

• Wales saw GDP decrease by 6.0% compared to the same quarter a year ago before the coronavirus pandemic had begun. The UK as a whole saw GDP decrease by 7.5%.
• This is the second largest annual decrease in Wales since the series began in 2013, behind 2020 Q2.
• The construction sector saw a decrease of 11.7% over the longer term.
• Services decreased by 7.1% and production by 0.5%.
• The Arts, Entertainment and Recreation sub-sector saw the largest decrease (down 26.9%), whereas, Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air saw the largest increase (up 5.7%).

Note

As part of the Office for National Statistics ongoing commitment to continuously improve the methodologies which underpin the statistics, seasonal adjustment reviews have led to a revision in Wales for Transport and Storage