French economy: GDP up slightly by 0.1% in the first quarter
France's economic activity recorded a slight increase of 0.1% in the first quarter, slowed by sluggish household consumption and weak investment, the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) announced on Wednesday, April 30, in its first estimate for the period.
This moderate increase in gross domestic product (GDP) between January and March, in line with the forecast of the National Institute of Statistics, follows the 0.1% contraction observed in the fourth quarter of 2024 due to the impact of the Paris Olympic Games.
In the first quarter, growth in the eurozone's second-largest economy suffered from sluggish household consumption, which remained stable after a 0.2% increase in the previous three months.
Investments continued to move into negative territory (-0.2% after -0.1%): both for businesses, households and public administrations
The contribution of foreign trade was also negative (-0.4 points) due to a sharp decrease in exports (-0.7%) while imports increased by 0.4%. On the other hand, changes in inventories contributed positively to the change in GDP by 0.5 points.
This publication of growth figures in France comes ahead of those in Germany, Italy, and the eurozone. It comes in a political context that remains unstable, with François Bayrou 's government regularly threatened with censure and significant international uncertainty.
La Croıx
