UK GDP rises 0.3% in November as services offset construction fall

UK gross domestic product rose modestly in November, supported by growth in services and production, though construction activity weakened, official data showed Thursday.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed GDP increased 0.3% in November from October, reversing a 0.1% decline the previous month and above the FXStreet-cited consensus of a 0.1% rise.

On a three-month basis, GDP grew 0.1% in the three months to November compared with the three months to August 2025. This follows no growth in the three months to October 2025, revised up from a previously estimated 0.1% decline, and an unrevised increase of 0.1% in the three months to September 2025.

Services output rose 0.3% on the month and increased 0.2% over the three-month period, making the largest contribution to overall growth. Production output grew 1.1% in November but slipped 0.1% over the three months, largely reflecting a sharp fall in the manufacture of motor vehicles.

Construction activity declined 1.3% in November and fell 1.1% in the three months to November, marking its weakest three-month performance since March 2023.

Separately, UK trade data showed a mixed picture in November, with goods exports rising and imports falling, while the overall trade deficit widened on a three-month basis, the ONS said.

The value of UK goods exports increased by £600 million, or 1.9%, in November, reflecting higher shipments to both EU and non-EU countries. Goods imports fell by £600 million, down 1.1% on the month, as a decline in imports from non-EU countries partly offset an increase in imports from the EU.

Trade with the US weakened during the month. Exports of goods to the US, including precious metals, fell by £500 million, or 10%, while imports from the US declined by £900 million, or 12%, in November.

On a three-month basis, the total trade deficit in goods and services widened by £2.7 billion to £6.1 billion in the three months to November, compared with the three months to August.

The trade in goods deficit expanded by £3.4 billion to £58.9 billion, while the trade in services surplus increased by £700 million to £52.8 billion over the same period.

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