The UK economy shrank more than it has done in over 40 years at the start of 2020 — and it could get 15 times worse

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• The UK economy declined by more than first expected in the first three months of the year, the Office for National Statistics showed on Tuesday.
• It was the country's largest drop since 1979, when the country was battling major industrial unrest and high unemployment.
• Gross domestic product fell by 2.2% in the first quarter, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous estimate of a 2% fall.
• Households curtailed their spending while other sectors like services, production, and construction all negatively impacted the overall economy leading to the slump in GDP.
• The Bank of England forecast earlier this year that UK GDP could drop more than 30% in the first half of 2020, as the pandemic hits output sharply.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

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The UK economy shrank by its largest amount since 1979 in the first three months of 2020 as household consumption drastically reduced during the pandemic, according to data released Tuesday by the country's national statistics authority. 

The country's gross domestic product for the first-quarter declined by 2.2%, down 0.2 percentage points from the Office for National Statistics' previous estimate of a 2% fall in output.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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