GDP Quarterly National Accounts: 2026 Quarter 1 (January to March)

Key Points

• In 2026 Quarter 1 (January to March), Scotland’s onshore GDP is estimated to have grown by 0.1% in real terms, unrevised from the first estimate of 0.1% published on 27 March 2026.
• In the latest quarter, output grew by 0.2% in both the services sector and construction sector. Output grew by 0.1% in the production sector.
• Real GDP per head is estimated to have grown by 0.1% in the latest quarter.
• This release includes revisions from Quarter 1 2024 to Quarter 1 2026 because of updates and revisions to the source data for various components.
• Real annual GDP is now estimated to have grown by 1.2% in 2024 (previously 1.1%) and by 1.3% in 2025 (previously 1.4%). 
• In 2026 Quarter 1, gross disposable household income per head increased by 1.2% in nominal terms compared to 2025 Quarter 1.
• The household saving ratio, which represents the proportion of disposable income which is available for saving or paying off debt, is estimated to be 5.5% in the latest quarter, down from 7.6% at the same point last year.

Introduction

This publication includes updated estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) growth for Scotland in the latest quarter, along with a range of additional statistics which are regularly used for economic forecasting and modelling.

The latest statistics are based on annual benchmark levels and weights from the supply and use tables for 1998-2022. For these years, the output of industries and the supply and demand for goods and services across the economy are fully balanced and draw on the widest range of data sources. Estimates for quarters from 2023 onwards should be treated as more provisional, and are likely to be updated and revised over time. Revisions in GDP statistics are an inevitable consequence of the trade-off between timeliness and accuracy.

An Accredited Official Statistics Publication for Scotland

These statistics are accredited official statistics. The Office for Statistics Regulation has independently reviewed and accredited these statistics as complying with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Quarterly National Accounts Scotland was accredited in January 2014, as detailed in Assessment Report 272.

Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

Scottish Government statistics are regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.