For the month of December alone, gross domestic product (GDP), however, fell sharply by 0.5% after growth of 0.1% in November, the ONS said in its monthly report on Friday.
While the quarterly figures are in line with analysts' expectations, the decline in activity in December is much more pronounced.
Over the whole of 2022, GDP increased by 4.1% after 7.4% the previous year, adds the ONS.
The British economy had fallen in 2020 lower than the other G7 economies.
The UK remains the only country in this group that has not returned to its pre-Covid-19 pandemic gross domestic product (GDP) level.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said the UK's "avoiding a recession" last year shows "its economy is more resilient than many feared".
“However, we are not out of the woods, particularly on inflation. If we stick to our plan to halve inflation this year, we can count on some of the best growth prospects in Europe,” adds the British finance minister, in a press release.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 10 Downing Street in London, November 17, 2022 © JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP/Archives
Inflation has for months exceeded the 10% threshold in the country, generating a deep crisis in the cost of living.
According to the IMF, the United Kingdom will be the only major economy to suffer a recession in 2023, with a contraction of 0.6% of GDP, a worse performance than in the euro zone or the United States, but also that in Russia, yet targeted by numerous international sanctions.
Economists at the Bank of England (BoE) expect a 0.5% drop in GDP in 2023 and estimate that a five-quarter recession began in January.
© 2023 AFP