This was only the 145th highest rate of growth among the UK’s 179 NUTS3 regions, well below the 3.4 per cent growth recorded across the UK.  This was the fourth time in the last five years that Buckinghamshire has failed to better the national rate of growth.  Since 2012, Buckinghamshire’s growth in economic output has trailed that of all its neighbouring NUTS3 regions with the exception of Berkshire, ranking only 90th among NUTS3 regions.  Chiltern has seen the strongest growth over the last five years, growing 27.6 per cent to record the 74th strongest growth among the 380 local authorities in Great Britain, while Wycombe’s 9.4 per cent growth ranked only 335th.

Buckinghamshire’s NUTS2 region - Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire - has grown faster than both the UK and the south east region since 2012, led by Milton Keynes’ 38.2 per cent growth.  At £37,800, the area has the 4th highest GVA per capita of all 41 NUTS2 regions in the UK, one of only 10 to better the UK level.

Table 1: GVA and GVA per capita, 2017 (NUTS 3, 2, 1, 0) at current prices

Source: Regional Accounts, ONS, 2018

At £30,592, Buckinghamshire’s GVA per capita is the 30th highest of the UK’s NUTS3 regions, 11.0 per cent above the national level.  Buckinghamshire’s GVA per capita grew 1.5 per cent in 2017, well below the 3.0 per cent seen across the UK.  Since 2012, Buckinghamshire’s GVA per capita has grown 13.0 per cent, compared to 15.9 per cent across the UK, to rank just 110th among NUTS3 regions in the UK.

With 84.2 per cent of GVA derived from the service industries, Buckinghamshire has the 34th most service orientated economy of the 179 NUTS3 regions in the UK, ranking 16th outside London.  

The raw data can be accessed here >

Chart 1: GVA per capita over time (UK=100 for each year)

Source: Regional Accounts, ONS, 2018

Chart 2: Comparative change in GVA by sector (%, 2012 to 2017)

Source: Regional Accounts, ONS, 2018