The economy expanded by 0.7% between January and March, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Data from last month’s report suggested growth had initially been 0.6%.
Given that growth has been slowing recently, the state of the economy has been a major focal point of the general election campaign.
A continually increasing GDP is desirable to most economists, legislators, and businesses because it typically indicates increased consumer spending, the creation of new employment, increased tax revenue for the government, and increased worker pay increases.
The initial estimate for the year’s first quarter was higher than analysts had predicted.
According to the ONS, development in the services sector—which comprises companies like banks, hotels, and hair salons—helped drive it up.
However, on the basis of additional data being gathered, growth in manufacturing was revised downward while growth in services was updated upward.
The stronger GDP growth in the first half of 2024, according to Paul Dales, chief UK economist at research firm Capital Economics, was “primarily due to upward revisions to consumer spending.”
In early 2024, household disposable incomes continued to rise as workers received wage increases, according to the ONS, despite higher expenditure on housing and food, as well as on recreation and culture.
