Portugal's GDP
increased by 4.9% in the third quarter, year-on-year. A growth rate surpassed
only by Ireland (10.6%), Croatia (5.5%), Cyprus (5.4%) and Malta (5.2%), according
to data released by Eurostat. The economy of the Eurozone grew by 2.3% and that
of the EU by 2.5%.
In the chain
variation, Portugal registered a growth of 0.4%, above the 0.1% of the second
quarter and in line with that registered in the 27 Member States as a whole,
with the difference that in the case of the EU the economy slowed down, from
0.7% to 0.4%. In the Euro Zone as a whole, the third quarter brought growth of
0.3%, less than the 0.8% recorded in the previous three months.
The economy of the
euro countries and the EU as a whole benefited from the acceleration of
investment, which grew by 3.6% and 3.2%, respectively. Between April and June
the rates had been just 0.9% and 1.1%. Household consumption also made a
positive contribution, increasing by 0.9% in the Euro Zone and 0.7% in the EU,
albeit at a slightly slower pace than that recorded in the previous quarter.