UK monthly gross domestic product grew by 0.4% in July 2026, extending the 0.3% expansion recorded in June after no growth in May. The reading stands out for the strength of computer programming and related services, while the Office for National Statistics said high-turnover businesses showed activity linked to artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
The ONS’s assessment adds context to the July services performance, but it does not provide a measured causal explanation for the monthly result: the agency did not quantify how much AI- or cloud-related activity added to business turnover or GDP.
Data Snapshot
| Metric | Current | Previous | Change | Period | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real gross domestic product (GDP) | 0.4% | 0.4% in the three months to June 2026; 0.6% in the three months to May 2026 | grew by 0.4% in the three months to July 2026, compared with the three months to April 2026 | three months to July 2026 | 2026-09-11 | Office for National Statistics |
| Monthly GDP | 0.4% | 0.3% in June 2026; no growth in May 2026 | grew by 0.4% in July 2026 | July 2026 | 2026-09-11 | Office for National Statistics |
| Services output | 0.6% | 0.5% in the three months to June 2026; 0.6% in the three months to May 2026 | grew by 0.6% in the three months to July 2026, compared with the three months to April 2026 | three months to July 2026 | 2026-09-11 | Office for National Statistics |
| Computer programming, consultancy and related activities | 3.5% | — | grew by 3.5% in July 2026 | July 2026 | 2026-09-11 | Office for National Statistics |
| Information and communication | 2.4% | — | grew by 2.4% in July 2026 | July 2026 | 2026-09-11 | Office for National Statistics |
July GDP growth followed 0.3% in June
Monthly GDP growth of 0.4% in July 2026 followed 0.3% growth in June 2026 and no growth in May 2026, according to the ONS release published on 11 September.
The monthly measure should not be read as directly equivalent to the rolling three-month series. Real GDP grew by 0.4% in the three months to July 2026 compared with the three months to April 2026; the corresponding growth rates were 0.4% in the three months to June 2026 and 0.6% in the three months to May 2026.
Computer programming added 0.12 percentage points to July GDP
Computer programming, consultancy and related activities grew by 3.5% in July 2026. The category contributed 0.14 percentage points to services output and 0.12 percentage points to real GDP during the month.
Information and communication grew by 2.4% in July 2026 and was the second-largest positive contributor to services sector output. Those figures identify a concrete source of momentum within the services economy, rather than attributing the full GDP result to a single technology-related activity.
AI and cloud activity in the services data
The ONS said there was evidence that many of the businesses with the largest turnover in July 2026 were involved in artificial-intelligence and cloud-computing-related activities, although it could not quantify their exact impact on turnover.
Services output grew by 0.6% in the three months to July 2026 and was the main contributor to GDP growth over that period. The rate was 0.5% in the three months to June 2026 and 0.6% in the three months to May 2026.
July’s figures are an early estimate, with the full time series open to revision in the next release on 15 October 2026.
