Welcome to the May 2026 edition of The Money Statistics, The Money Charity’s comprehensive monthly round-up of statistics showing how we use money in the UK, kindly funded by Vanquis.
Striking Numbers from the May Money Statistics:
- UK real GDP is estimated to have grown by 0.6% in the three months to March 2026, compared with the three months to December 2025. The services sector made the largest contribution to growth, growing by 0.8%, while production grew by 0.2% and construction by 0.4%. Monthly GDP grew by 0.3% in March 2026, following a growth of 0.4% in February 2026.
- Inflation eased in the latest figures, with the Consumer Prices Index rising by 2.8% in the 12 months to April 2026, down from 3.3% in the 12 months to March 2026.
- The Bank of England chose to hold the interest rate at 3.75% at the end of April.
- Public sector borrowing was £24.3 billion in April 2026, which was £4.9 billion more than in April 2025 and £3.4 billion higher than the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast. Public sector net debt excluding public sector banks was estimated at 94.2% of GDP at the end of April 2026, 0.5% more than in April 2025 and remaining at levels last seen in the early 1960s.
- Average UK house prices were unchanged in the year to March 2026, with the average property price at £268,000, down from annual growth of 1.7% in February. However, private rents continued to rise. Average UK monthly private rents increased by 3.5% in the 12 months to April 2026, reaching £1,381. This was around £46 higher than a year earlier.
- Household energy prices will rise by 13% a year in July. A household using a typical amount of gas and electricity is expected to pay £221 more a year, with an annual bill rising from £1,641 to around £1,862.
Get the full picture and many more fascinating facts about money in the UK in our monthly Money Statistics. Previous editions can be found in the archive.
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