U.S. GDP Growth Accelerates to 2% in First Quarter 2026
The U.S. economy expanded at a 2% annual rate in the first quarter of 2026, driven by business investment, exports, consumer spending, and government spending amid ongoing geopolitical pressures.
GDP Acceleration
Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.0 percent in the first quarter of 2026 (January, February, and March), according to the advance estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2025, real GDP increased 0.5 percent.
Key Growth Drivers
The contributors to the increase in real GDP in the first quarter were investment, exports, consumer spending, and government spending. The increase in investment reflected increases in equipment, intellectual property products, and private inventory investment.
Economic Resilience Context
U.S. economic growth accelerated at the start of the year, bolstered by a massive AI-driven upswing in business investment.