Seasonally adjusted GDP rose by 0.4% in both the euro area (EA19) and the EU28 during the first quarter of 2018, compared with the previous quarter, according to a flash estimate published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
In the fourth quarter of 2017, GDP had grown by 0.7% in the euro area and by 0.6% in the EU28. Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, seasonally adjusted GDP rose by 2.5% in the euro area and by 2.4% in the EU28 in the first quarter of 2018, after +2.8% and +2.7% respectively in the previous quarter.
During the first quarter of 2018, GDP in the United States increased by 0.6% compared with the previous quarter (after +0.7% in the fourth quarter of 2017). Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, GDP grew by 2.9% (after +2.6% in the previous quarter).
According to the table released by Eurostat, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Romania had the highest level of growth in Q1 against the same period last year.
Thus, the highest GDP growth was registered by Latvia (5.2%), Poland (4.9%), Hungary (4.7%), Czech republic (4.5%) and Romania (4.2%). The same table reveals that the only decrease of GDP was registered by Denmark (-0.8%).