The UK's Office of National Statistics said that gross domestic product contracted 2% in the first three months of the year, compared to the last three months of 2019.
This is the biggest decline on a quarterly basis since the end of 2008, during the height of the financial crisis, although it is slightly less than the average expectation of 2.5% in a Reuters poll Economists.
April 2020 data is likely to show further decline due to British companies and consumers subjecting to general isolation measures throughout the month.
Last week, the Bank of England said the country's economy may be heading for the most severe annual decline in gross domestic product in more than 300 years, saying a 14 percent decline % Likely, followed by a 15% increase in 2021.
The office said that the output in the giant British services sector fell at a record rate of 1.9% in the first quarter and that there are significant contractions in production and construction.
