The Annual Business Survey (ABS), formerly known as the Annual Business Inquiry - part 2 (ABI/2), is an annual survey of businesses covering the production, construction, distribution and service industries, which represents about two-thirds of the UK economy in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA). The ABS is the largest business survey conducted by the ONS in terms of the combined number of respondents and variables it covers (62,000 questionnaires despatched in Great Britain, with around 600 different questions asked). ABS provides high-level indicators of economic activity such as the total value of sales and work completed by businesses, the value of purchases of goods, materials and services, and total employment costs.

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