Economic Estimates: Digital Sector Annual Gross Value Added (2019 to 2023)
Accredited Official Statistics estimating the contribution of the Digital Sector to the UK economy, measured by Gross Value Added (GVA), both in Current Prices (nominal GVA) and Chained Volume Measures (accounting for inflation).
Documents
Details
Headline findings
- Provisionally, the Digital Sector GVA decreased by an estimated 1.6% between 2022 and 2023, while accounting for inflation. Total UK GVA is estimated to have increased by 0.4% over the same period.
- Provisionally, inflation-adjusted estimated growth for the Digital Sector GVA between 2019 and 2023 was 13.7%.
- Revised, inflation-adjusted, estimated growth for the Digital Sector GVA between 2019 and 2022 was 15.6%. This is 6.5 percentage points higher than the 9.1% growth reported previously in provisional estimates. This update brings Digital Sector GVA figures more in line with National Accounts data.
- The Digital Sector is provisionally estimated to have accounted for 6.5% of total UK GVA in 2023 at £153.5 billion in current prices, decreasing from an estimated 6.8% of total UK GVA in 2022.
- From 2022 to 2023, notable changes to Digital subsector GVA include a 6.7% decrease in the largest Digital subsector ‘Computer programming, consultancy and related activities’ and an 8.6% increase in the second largest Digital subsector ‘Telecommunications’.
About this release
This Annual GVA series is our most accurate estimate of Digital Sector GVA. These Economic Estimates are Accredited Official Statistics used to provide an estimate of the contribution of the Digital Sector and its associated subsectors to the UK, measured by GVA (gross value added).
This is the first release of provisional annual estimates for 2023, and Blue Book 2024 inclusive revisions to 2019 to 2022 annual estimates. The provisional Annual GVA estimates for 2023 for the Digital Sector will be revised in our next release, upon updates to underlying ABS data, and further revised in the following statistical release to include Blue Book 2025 revisions. Our next release is planned to include a full analytical report providing additional analysis on our produced GVA estimates.
This release includes a methodology update to the deflators used to remove the effects of inflation in our chained volume measure estimates. A summary of the revisions to 2019 to 2022 estimates as part of this release can be found in the accompanying revisions report.
This is a continuation of the Digital Sector Economic Estimates: Annual GVA release series, previously produced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Responsibility for Digital and Telecommunications policy now sits with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
Data sources and technical information
Findings in this release are calculated based on the published Office for National Statistics (ONS) Supply and Use Tables, ONS Gross Domestic Product (GDP) low-level aggregates and the ONS Annual Business Survey (ABS).
The Supply and Use Tables (SUT) report balanced GVA at the 2-digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code level up to 2022. SUT GVA is consistent with UK National Accounts (Blue Book, 2024). The GDP low-level aggregate release reports unbalanced output GVA at the 2-digit SIC code level for 2023. The ABS reports approximate GVA (aGVA) at the 4-digit SIC code level.
In this release, we use aGVA from the ABS to apportion GVA from the Supply and Use Tables and GDP low-level aggregates in order to produce GVA estimates for the Digital Sector and its associated subsectors, which are defined at the 4-digit SIC code level. Data for 2023 derived from unbalanced output GVA are considered provisional until our next release.
The technical report contains further information about data sources, methodology, and the validation and accuracy of these estimates. The latest version of this guidance was published alongside this release in March 2025.
Content
These statistics cover the contributions of the Digital Sector and its associated subsectors in terms of GVA, to the UK economy. GVA time series for 2019 to 2023 are presented in both current prices and chained volume measures. Data for 2023 are considered provisional due to the use of unbalanced current price GVA data in conjunction with previous-year ABS data.
Released
6 March 2025
Feedback
We aim to continuously improve the quality of estimates and better meet user needs. We welcome feedback on this release. Feedback should be sent via email to economicestimates@dsit.gov.uk.
Office for Statistics Regulation
The estimates within this release are Accredited Official Statistics and have previously been independently reviewed and regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). These statistics have not been formally assessed for compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics since their transfer from DCMS. The OSR is planning to assess the statistics for compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics in the near future. We commit to producing and publishing the statistics in line with the Code pillars of Trustworthiness, Quality and Value. Accredited Official Statistics are referred to as National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. The accreditation of these statistics was last confirmed in June 2019 by OSR.
For more detailed information on the accreditation of these statistics, please see the OSR website.
Accreditation signifies their compliance with the authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics which broadly means these statistics are:
- Managed impartially and objectively in the public interest.
- Meet identified user needs.
- Produced according to sound methods.
- Well explained and readily accessible.
Our wider statistical practices are also regulated by 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.
You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards.
Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.
Pre-release access
The accompanying pre-release access document lists ministers and officials who have received privileged early access to this release. In line with best practice, the list has been kept to a minimum and those given access for briefing purposes had a maximum of 24 hours.
Contact
Responsible statistician: Rory Attwell
For any queries or feedback, please contact economicestimates@dsit.gov.uk.