This page contains data and analysis published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) from 5 to 9 October 2020. Go to our live page for the most up-to-date insights on COVID-19.


9 October 2020

GDP, August 2020

Monthly gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 2.1% in August 2020 as lockdown measures continued to ease. This is the fourth consecutive monthly increase following a record fall of 19.5% in April 2020.

The output of service industries remained 6.6% below the level of February 2020, growing by 2.4% in the latest month. The accommodation and food services sub-sector was the largest contributor to the increase in August.

The production industries remained 6.0% below their February 2020 level. Production grew by 0.3% in August 2020, with manufacturing growing by 0.7%.

Monthly construction output grew by 3.0% in August 2020, following record monthly growth of 21.8% in June 2020 and growth of 17.2% in July 2020; the level of construction output in August 2020 was 10.8% below the February 2020 level.

GDP grew by 8.0% in the three months to August 2020, as restrictions on movement eased across June, July and August. All headline sectors provided a positive contribution to GDP growth in the three months to August 2020.


9 October 2020

Eat Out to Help Out

There was monthly growth in August 2020 from accommodation and food and beverage service activities, with more businesses opening up to take advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, and increased demand for staycations.

Coronavirus and the impact on output in the UK economy: August 2020 contains analysis of monthly growth for the production, services and construction industries in the UK economy between July and August 2020.

Food and beverage services grew by 69.7% during August 2020. This was still 11.1% below the level of output seen in February 2020.

Data from the Monthly Business Survey (all sums are at current prices and non-seasonally adjusted) showed a significant increase in turnover of £1,506m from July to August 2020, for restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs, to give a total of £4,092m in August 2020. This remains below the £5,056m level of turnover reached in August 2019.

The Eat Out to Help Out Scheme (EOTHO) offered food and non-alcoholic drink subsidies on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during August 2020. The subsidies are not captured within these figures. Business claims currently totalling £522m have been publicised.

Hotels and accommodation was still impacted by social distancing in August 2020 but provided a significant contribution to services growth, growing by 84.4% but output was 22.1% less than February 2020.

During August 2020 there was significant growth at camping and caravan sites, to record levels. The impact of staycations clearly had a positive effect in this sub-industry. The accommodation sub-industry, including cottages and holiday homes, also saw significant turnover growth of 26.4% but the level of turnover was 30.2% less than August 2019.


9 October 2020

UK trade

Increases in imports and exports in the three months to August 2020 are detailed in today’s UK trade publication. Underlying exports grew by £21.4 billion, while imports increased by £17.5 billion. This has resulted in an increase in the total trade surplus, excluding non-monetary gold and other precious metals, to £7.7 billion.

The widening of the total trade surplus in the three months to August 2020, excluding non-monetary gold and other precious metals, was driven by an £11.9 billion increase in service exports, compared with a lesser £8.9 billion increase in service imports.

Road vehicle imports increased by £3.9 billion in the three months to August 2020 as dealerships fully opened. UK car finance applications rose by a quarter during July and first few weeks of August as many car owners had extensions to renew their personal contract purchase contracts during lockdown, which pushed their purchase of new cars into the summer.

Exports and imports of miscellaneous manufactures increased £2.5 billion and £2.6 billion respectively in the three months to August 2020, mostly driven by clothing and footwear. This aligns to the increase in retail sales of clothing seen in the three months to August, following sharp falls in March and April when lockdown measures were introduced.


8 October 2020

COVID-19 deaths compared with those from influenza and pneumonia

More than three times as many people died due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) than influenza and pneumonia, between January and August 2020.

Our analysis of deaths in England and Wales has shown that COVID-19 claimed the lives of 48,168 people, while 13,619 people died of pneumonia and 394 died from influenza.

While influenza and pneumonia were mentioned on more death certificates between January and August 2020, COVID-19 was the underlying cause of death in more than three times as many deaths.

Between 1 January and 31 August 2020, there were 1.3 times as many deaths where influenza or pneumonia was a contributory factor than COVID-19, but COVID-19 was the underlying cause in 3.4 times as many deaths.

In 2020 fewer people aged 85 years and older died of influenza and pneumonia compared with the five-year average, while the proportion of people in the same age group dying from COVID-19 was higher.

The proportion of care home deaths due to COVID-19 was almost double that of deaths due to influenza and pneumonia (30.0% and 15.2% respectively).

There were more COVID-19 deaths between 1 January and 31 August 2020 than influenza and pneumonia for the same period every year between 1959 and 2020.

This article uses death occurrences (based on date a death occurred) rather than death registrations (based on date a death was registered), as occurrences are more useful in examining trends over time.


8 October 2020

Coronavirus and non-UK key workers

Key workers have been at the forefront of efforts in the UK to address the impact and spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In May 2020, in response to the pandemic, we published estimates of the numbers and characteristics of those who could be considered as potential key workers.

Our latest analysis, released today, provides more insight on non-British nationals and non-UK-born people working in these occupations, based on the 2017 to 2019 Annual Population Survey (APS).

Between 2017 and 2019, there were 32.3 million people employed in the UK workforce. During the same period, roughly a third (10.5 million) were employed in key worker occupations and industries. Similar to the total UK workforce, 10% of key workers were non-British nationals, with EU and non-EU nationals making up 6% and 4%, respectively.

The largest number of key workers worked in health and social care (3.2 million), of which 12% were non-British nationals.

EU15 nationals and Sub-Saharan African-born were the largest non-UK groups working in health and social care

Number of non-British nationals or non-UK-born by occupation group (all key workers, health and social care, and care workers and home carers), 2017 to 2019

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7 October 2020

Average house prices continued to rise in July 2020

The UK’s average house prices increased by 2.3%, to £238,000 over the year to July 2020, down from 2.9% in June 2020; this is £5,000 higher than last year. This slowing in UK annual growth is partly a base effect, as while UK prices increased between June and July this year, they increased by a larger amount during the same period in 2019. This base effect was driven by London, which saw prices increase by £8,000 between June and July 2019 but has seen prices remain the same between June and July 2020.

Average house prices increased by 2.5% in England, 0.4% in Scotland and 3.6% in Wales over the year to July 2020. In Northern Ireland, average house prices increased by 3.0% over the year to Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2020.

The recent price variations may reflect the unusual conditions in the housing market during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. People were advised not to move house during the tightest movement restrictions in April and May. As such, property transactions completed during that time may have been more concentrated than usual among those without complicating factors, such as a chain. For example, first-time buyers – typically at the lower end of the price scale – may have been freer to complete transactions than former owner occupiers, who may have had to co-ordinate multiple sales during lockdown.

Related

  • GDP monthly estimate, UK

    Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the value of goods and services produced in the UK. It estimates the size of and growth in the economy.

  • Coronavirus and the impact on output in the UK economy

    Analysis of growth for the production, services and construction industries in the UK economy between February 2020 and August 2021, highlighting the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

  • UK trade

    Total value of UK exports and imports of goods and services in current prices, chained volume measures and implied deflators.

  • Deaths due to coronavirus (COVID-19) compared with deaths from influenza and pneumonia, England and Wales

    Comparison of deaths from the coronavirus (COVID-19) with deaths from influenza (flu) and pneumonia. Includes deaths by date of death occurrence and breakdowns by sex and age.

  • Coronavirus and non-UK key workers

    New insights on non-British nationals and non-UK-born in the workforce between 2017 and 2019, including those who could be considered as key workers in the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

  • UK House Price Index

    Monthly house price inflation in the UK, calculated using data from HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, and Land and Property Services Northern Ireland.