GDP remained stable in both the euro area1 (EA17) and the EU271 during the first quarter of 2012, compared with the previous quarter, according to flash estimates published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In the fourth quarter of 2011, growth rates were -0.3% in both zones.
Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, seasonally adjusted GDP remained stable in the euro area and increased by 0.1% in the EU27 in the first quarter of 2012, after +0.7% and +0.8% respectively in the previous quarter.
During the first quarter of 2012, GDP in the United States increased by 0.5% compared with the previous quarter (after +0.7% in the fourth quarter of 2011).
Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, GDP rose by 2.1% in the United States (after +1.6% in the previous quarter).
-
The euro area (EA17) includes Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland.
The EU27 includes Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Summary quality information
European quarterly national accounts are compiled in accordance with the European System of Accounts 1995 (ESA95). The flash estimate of first quarter 2012 GDP growth presented in this release is based on Member States’ data as available, covering 97% of EA17 GDP (90% of EU27 GDP). For more details of the flash methodology please refer to News Release 55/2003 of 15 May 2003.
Simulations and previously published flash estimates have shown the flash estimation procedure to be reliable. Over the last 45 quarters, the flash estimate of GDP growth on the previous quarter for the euro area (EA12) when compared to the following release has led to an average revision of less than 0.01 percentage points. It correctly anticipated the acceleration or deceleration of growth 42 times. The value of the growth rate was correctly anticipated 39 times and differed by ±0.1 percentage points 6 times.
With this flash estimate, euro area and EU GDP figures for earlier quarters are not revised, so the growth rates till the fourth quarter 2011, released on 3 April 2012, remain unchanged. All figures presented in this release may be revised with the two further estimates of GDP for the first quarter 2012, scheduled for 6 June 2012 and 4 July 2012. As already announced, the flash and second estimates are published as News Releases, while the third estimate is only published in the Eurostat database. First estimates for National Accounts employment in the first quarter 2012 are scheduled for 15 June 2012.
Issued by: Eurostat Press Office Tim ALLEN Tel: +352-4301-33 444 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +352-4301-33 444 end_of_the_skype_highlighting eurostat-pressoffice@ec.europa.eu Eurostat news releases on the internet: |
For further information on data: Christine GERSTBERGER Tel: +352-4301-30 175 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +352-4301-30 175 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Luis BIEDMA Tel: +352-4301-34 728 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +352-4301-34 728 end_of_the_skype_highlighting |
Selected Principal European Economic Indicators: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/euroindicators
Growth rates of GDP in volume
(based on seasonally adjusted* data)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EA17 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
-0.3 |
0.0 |
1.6 |
1.3 |
0.7 |
0.0 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
EU27 |
0.2 |
0.3 |
-0.3 |
0.0 |
1.6 |
1.4 |
0.8 |
0.1 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Member States |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Belgium |
0.3 |
0.0 |
-0.1 |
0.3 |
2.2 |
1.8 |
1.2 |
0.5 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgaria |
0.3 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.0 |
2.1 |
1.4 |
0.9 |
0.5 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech Republic |
0.3 |
-0.1 |
-0.1 |
-1.0 |
2.1 |
1.3 |
0.6 |
-1.0 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Denmark |
0.4 |
-0.1 |
-0.1 |
: |
1.4 |
0.0 |
0.5 |
: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Germany |
0.3 |
0.6 |
-0.2 |
0.5 |
2.9 |
2.7 |
2.0 |
1.2 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Estonia |
1.6 |
0.9 |
-0.2 |
0.5 |
8.2 |
8.0 |
5.1 |
4.0 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ireland |
1.1 |
-1.1 |
-0.2 |
: |
1.8 |
0.1 |
1.0 |
: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greece** |
: |
: |
: |
: |
-7.3 |
-5.0 |
-7.5 |
-6.2 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spain |
0.2 |
0.0 |
-0.3 |
-0.3 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
0.3 |
-0.4 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
France |
0.0 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
0.0 |
1.7 |
1.5 |
1.2 |
0.3 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italy |
0.3 |
-0.2 |
-0.7 |
-0.8 |
1.0 |
0.4 |
-0.4 |
-1.3 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cyprus |
0.0 |
-0.8 |
-0.3 |
-0.3 |
1.4 |
-0.2 |
-0.8 |
-1.4 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Latvia |
1.9 |
1.4 |
1.0 |
1.1 |
5.2 |
5.8 |
5.7 |
5.5 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lithuania |
1.5 |
1.2 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
6.5 |
6.7 |
5.2 |
4.3 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Luxembourg |
-0.6 |
1.0 |
0.2 |
: |
0.7 |
1.9 |
0.8 |
: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungary |
0.0 |
-0.1 |
0.0 |
-1.3 |
1.9 |
1.4 |
1.2 |
-1.5 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Malta |
0.4 |
0.1 |
-0.6 |
: |
3.0 |
2.5 |
0.0 |
: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Netherlands*** |
0.1 |
-0.4 |
-0.7 |
-0.2 |
1.6 |
1.1 |
-0.1 |
-1.3 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Austria**** |
0.5 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.2 |
4.1 |
2.5 |
1.4 |
0.7 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Poland |
1.2 |
1.0 |
1.1 |
: |
4.5 |
4.2 |
4.4 |
: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portugal |
-0.2 |
-0.6 |
-1.3 |
-0.1 |
-1.1 |
-2.0 |
-2.9 |
-2.2 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Romania |
0.2 |
1.1 |
-0.2 |
-0.1 |
1.4 |
3.4 |
2.2 |
0.8 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Slovenia |
-0.1 |
-0.4 |
-0.7 |
: |
0.6 |
-0.2 |
-1.5 |
: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Slovakia |
0.8 |
0.7 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
3.4 |
3.2 |
3.3 |
3.2 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finland |
0.2 |
1.1 |
0.3 |
1.3 |
1.8 |
3.3 |
1.6 |
2.9 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sweden |
1.1 |
0.9 |
-1.1 |
: |
4.8 |
4.4 |
1.2 |
: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
United Kingdom |
-0.1 |
0.6 |
-0.3 |
-0.2 |
0.4 |
0.3 |
0.5 |
0.0 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
EFTA countries |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Iceland |
-4.4 |
4.4 |
1.9 |
: |
1.9 |
4.0 |
2.8 |
: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Norway |
0.5 |
1.1 |
0.5 |
: |
0.7 |
3.9 |
1.8 |
: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Switzerland |
0.4 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
: |
2.1 |
1.7 |
1.2 |
: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Main economic partners |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
United States |
0.3 |
0.5 |
0.7 |
0.5 |
1.6 |
1.5 |
1.6 |
2.1 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japan |
-0.3 |
1.7 |
-0.2 |
: |
-1.7 |
-0.5 |
-0.6 |
: |
: Data not available.
* The seasonal adjustment includes a working-day correction for the following Member States: Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
** Percentage change compared to the same quarter of the previous year calculated from non-seasonally adjusted data. For Greece, more information can be found on the website of the Greek Statistical Office: http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/A0704/PressReleases/A0704_SEL84_DT_QQ_02_2011_01_P_EN.pdf
*** Percentage change compared to the same quarter of the previous year calculated from working-day adjusted data.
**** Growth rates for Austria are calculated using the trend component.