The data showed that GDP rose three times as much as analysts predicted in the fourth quarter of last year.

The year-on-year change in GDP was two percent, compared to the 1.5 percent expected.

In 2021 GDP advanced by 6.4 percent, in 2022 it grew by 5.8 and now to a remarkable 2.5 taking into account the international crisis.

Thus, the three years of increase somewhat offset the historical GDP decline of 11.2 percent as a result of Covid-19.

However, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reduced its 2024 growth forecasts for the economy of the countries of the single currency (of the European Union), which as a whole will barely grow by 0.9 percent.

In the case of Spain, it lowered its projection by two tenths of a percent, to 1.5 percent.

Even so, the figure is above the rate that the IMF forecasts for its main partners, such as Germany (0.5), Italy (0.7) and France (1.0), but is far from the forecasts of the Government, which still expects an increase of two percent this year.

ef/abo/mem/ft