Source: Sharecast
The economy shrank 0.3% following 0.2% growth in March. Economists were expecting a contraction of 0.1%.
The data showed that monthly services output fell 0.4% in April following 0.4% growth the month before, and was the largest contributor to the fall in monthly GDP.
Production output shrank 0.6% in April following a 0.7% contraction in March, while construction output grew 0.9% following growth of 0.5% in March.
ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown said: "The economy contracted in April, with services and manufacturing both falling. However, over the last three months as a whole GDP still grew, with signs that some activity may have been brought forward from April to earlier in the year.
"Both legal and real estate firms fared badly in April, following a sharp increase in house sales in March when buyers rushed to complete purchases ahead of changes to stamp duty. Car manufacturing also performed poorly after growing in the first quarter of the year."
Separate data released by the ONS showed that the value of goods exports fell by £2.7bn, or 8.8% in April 2025, with falls in exports to both the EU and non-EU countries.
Exports of goods to the US fell by £2bn, which the ONS said was "likely linked" to the implementation of tariffs on goods imported there. This was the largest monthly decrease since records began in January 1997 and followed four months of consecutive increases.