Britain's GDP grows 7.5 pct in 2021

LONDON, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The gross domestic product (GDP) in Britain is estimated to have grown by 7.5 percent in 2021, bouncing back from a 9.4 percent fall in 2020, according to official data released on Friday.

The country's GDP increased by one percent in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021, contributed by increased clinic visits, COVID-19 testing and tracing activities and vaccination program, said the British Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Despite the quarterly GDP growth, the ONS said it was still 0.4 percent below the pre-pandemic level seen in Q4 2019.

Monthly GDP dipped by 0.2 percent in December and "is now in line with its pre-pandemic level," according to the ONS.

Services output fell by 0.5 percent in December while manufacturing grew 0.2 percent and construction grew two percent, said the ONS.

Darren Morgan, ONS director of Economic Statistics attributed the GDP fall in December to the Omicron wave with the retail and hospitality industries suffering the most.

"Despite December's setback, GDP grew robustly across the fourth quarter as a whole with the NHS (National Health Service), couriers and employment agencies all helping to support the economy," Morgan noted.