U.K. construction output contracted further in May 2026, with year-on-year activity declining 1.8%, according to data updated on 16 July 2026. The latest reading marks a sharper downturn than in April 2026, when output had already fallen 1.0% compared with a year earlier.
The figures show that the sector’s contraction is accelerating on a year-over-year basis, underscoring persistent weakness in construction activity. The “actual” May 2026 data compare output with May 2025, while the “previous” April 2026 figure was measured against April 2025, highlighting a worsening trend across consecutive months.
The deepening decline raises concerns about the momentum of one of the U.K.’s key cyclical industries and may feed into broader assessments of economic growth and investment conditions as the year progresses.