Monthly GDP Estimates for March

Scotland’s onshore GDP grew by 0.1% in the three months to March - Quarter 1 2026, compared with growth of 0.2% in the three months to December, according to statistics announced by the Chief Statistician.

In the three months to March, the sector with the largest contribution to GDP was retail, wholesale and motor trades, which contributed around 0.2 percentage points of growth.

Monthly GDP is estimated to have grown by 0.6% in March 2026. This follows a contraction of 0.2% in February 2026 and contraction of 0.1% in January 2026.

Background

The quarterly statistical publication and data and the monthly statistical publication and data are available online.

All results are seasonally adjusted and presented in real terms - adjusted to remove inflation. GDP growth relates to Scotland’s onshore economy, which means it does not include the output of offshore oil and gas extraction.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the output of the economy in Scotland and is designated as official statistics in development. This means the figures are still in development but have been released to enable their use at an early stage. All results are provisional and subject to relatively high levels of uncertainty.

Further information on GDP statistics is available online. 

These estimates are compiled in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.