Makrognosis

United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Cash expenditure on M&A of independent companies : £m ()

QuarterlyNot seasonally adjustedCode UK.MANDA.Q.NSA.DIRECTION-DOMESTIC.MEASURE-INDEPENDENT.MEASURE-VALUE

Latest (y/y)−54.1%Q2 2026
Previous (y/y)−64.9%Q1 2026
Level1,025.0 £mQ2 2026

United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Cash expenditure on M&A of independent companies : £m () was down 54.1% year on year in Q2 2026, compared with −64.9% in Q1 2026.

The level stood at 1,025.0 £m.

Over the past ten years it has ranged from −74.6% (Q4 2025) to 396.4% (Q2 2021), averaging 48.3%.

United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Cash expenditure on M&A of independent companies : £m (), annual % change, Q4 1973 – Q2 2026−200%0%200%400%600%800%19801990200020102020Robomacro
United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Cash expenditure on M&A of independent companies : £m (), annual % change, Q4 1973 – Q2 2026. Source: UK Office for National Statistics.
United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Cash expenditure on M&A of independent companies : £m (), level (£m)05,00010k15k19801990200020102020Robomacro
United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Cash expenditure on M&A of independent companies : £m (), level (£m).

Showing the full history (downsampled for display). Open the interactive chart to zoom and switch transforms.

Recent data

PeriodValueY/Y %
Q2 20261,025.0 £m−54.1
Q1 2026918.0 £m−64.9
Q4 20251,344.0 £m−74.6
Q3 20253,633.0 £m180.3
Q2 20252,234.0 £m173.1
Q1 20252,616.0 £m225.8
Q4 20245,284.0 £m256.8
Q3 20241,296.0 £m71.4
Q2 2024818.0 £m−33.6
Q1 2024803.0 £m−10.3
Q4 20231,481.0 £m−5.8
Q3 2023756.0 £m−0.3
Q2 20231,232.0 £m−35.3
Q1 2023895.0 £m−59.2
Q4 20221,572.0 £m−2.4
Q3 2022758.0 £m−52.6
Q2 20221,905.0 £m55.4
Q1 20222,196.0 £m−9.7
Q4 20211,611.0 £m−0.4
Q3 20211,600.0 £m93.2
Q2 20211,226.0 £m396.4
Q1 20212,433.0 £m248.6
Q4 20201,618.0 £m59.9
Q3 2020828.0 £m2.0

Last 24 observations. The full history (216 observations) is available through the API.

Get United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Cash expenditure on M&A of independent companies : £m () in your code or spreadsheet

One guessable code, agency-direct, updated on release. Free tier available.

curl -H "X-API-Key: $MAKROGNOSIS_KEY" \
  "https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/UK.MANDA.Q.NSA.DIRECTION-DOMESTIC.MEASURE-INDEPENDENT.MEASURE-VALUE"

# Python
import requests
r = requests.get("https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/UK.MANDA.Q.NSA.DIRECTION-DOMESTIC.MEASURE-INDEPENDENT.MEASURE-VALUE",
                 headers={"X-API-Key": KEY})
obs = r.json()["observations"]
Get a free API key → · API docs

About this series

Latest observationQ2 2026
First observationQ1 1972
Observations216
FrequencyQuarterly
Units£m
AdjustmentNot seasonally adjusted
10-year high396.4% (Q2 2021)
10-year low−74.6% (Q4 2025)
10-year average48.3%
Source agencyUK Office for National Statistics
Makrognosis codeUK.MANDA.Q.NSA.DIRECTION-DOMESTIC.MEASURE-INDEPENDENT.MEASURE-VALUE

More United Kingdom MANDA series

United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Cash expenditure on M&A of subsidiaries : £m ()United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : M&A of independents : Total payments : £m ()United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : M&A of independents : number acquired ()United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Number of companies acquired ()United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Value of ordinary shares : £m (ended 2019) ()United Kingdom M&A : Domestic : Value of preference & loan stock : £m (ended 2019) ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Number of acquisitions ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Number of acquisitions - direct transactions : Annual ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Number of acquisitions in EU : Annual ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Number of acquisitions in USA : Annual ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Number of disposals ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Number of disposals - direct transactions : Annual ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Number of disposals in EU : Annual ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Number of disposals in USA : Annual ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Value of acquisitions - direct transactions : Annual : £m ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Value of acquisitions : £m ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Value of acquisitions in EU : Annual : £m ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Value of acquisitions in USA : Annual : £m ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Value of disposals - direct transactions : Annual : £m ()United Kingdom M&A : Inward : Value of disposals : £m ()

Other United Kingdom indicators

United Kingdom GDP (Gross Domestic Product)United Kingdom Nominal GDP (current prices)United Kingdom Inflation Rate (CPI)United Kingdom Core Inflation RateUnited Kingdom Unemployment RateUnited Kingdom Credit Rating & Sovereign Risk ScoreUnited Kingdom Industrial ProductionUnited Kingdom Production Industries - Total (Index 1dp): CVM SAUnited Kingdom Retail SalesUnited Kingdom Producer Price Inflation (PPI)United Kingdom BoP Current Account Balance SAUnited Kingdom Trade Balance: Goods & ServicesUnited Kingdom Total Trade (TT): WW: Exports: BOP: CP: SA (goods + services)United Kingdom Total Trade: World: Exports: BOP: CVM SAUnited Kingdom Total Trade (TT): WW: Imports: BOP: CP: SA (goods + services)United Kingdom Total Trade: World: Imports: BOP: CVM SA

FAQ

What is the current m&A : Domestic : Cash expenditure on M&A of independent companies : £m () in United Kingdom?
The latest reading is −54.1% year on year for Q2 2026, published by UK Office for National Statistics.
Where does this data come from?
It is collected directly from UK Office for National Statistics and is available through the Makrognosis API under the code UK.MANDA.Q.NSA.DIRECTION-DOMESTIC.MEASURE-INDEPENDENT.MEASURE-VALUE.

Last updated 2026-10-16. Source: UK Office for National Statistics. Original title: “M&A : Domestic : Cash expenditure on M&A of independent companies : £m (UK)”.