The UK avoided a recession in the second half of 2022, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has suggested.
The economy flatlined between October and December last year, the ONS said on Friday.
Unrounded figures showed 0.01% growth.
This preliminary estimate means that the UK did not see two consecutive quarters of declining gross domestic product (GDP) – the technical definition of a recession.
GDP was flat (0.0% growth) in Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2022:
▪️ services saw 0.0% growth▪️ production fell 0.2%▪️ construction saw 0.3% growth
➡️ https://t.co/xc7Gc9nZeq pic.twitter.com/n51FBeRQkl
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) February 10, 2023
ONS director of economic statistics Darren Morgan said: “The economy contracted sharply in December meaning, overall, there was no growth in the economy over the last three months of 2022.
READ MORE: Brexit blamed as UK set to be only major economy to decline
“In December public services were hit by fewer operations and GP visits, partly due to the impact of strikes, as well as notably lower school attendance.
“Meanwhile, the break in Premier League football for the World Cup and postal strikes also caused a slowdown.
“However, these falls were partially offset by a strong month for lawyers, growth in car sales and the cold snap increasing energy generation.”
The economy grew by 4% in 2022 as a whole. It fell by 0.5% in December.
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