BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Eurozone's economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2018 matched its earlier estimates and employment gains were also unrevised, latest data from Eurostat showed on Thursday.
Gross domestic product grew 0.2 percent from the third quarter, when the economy expanded 0.1 percent, revised from 0.2 percent reported earlier.
Compared to the same quarter a year ago, GDP rose 1.1 percent, revised from 1.2 percent reported earlier. GDP grew 1.6 percent in the three months to September.
For the whole year 2018, Eurozone growth was 1.8 percent, which was slower than the 2.4 percent expansion in 2017.
Estonia recorded the biggest quarterly expansion in the fourth quarter with GDP rising 2.2 percent. The economy shrunk in Greece and Italy, while it stagnated in Germany.
Among GDP components, private consumption rose 0.2 percent and gross fixed capital formation increased 0.6 percent. Exports rose 0.9 percent and imports grew 0.5 percent.
In the fourth quarter, employment growth improved to 0.3 percent sequentially from 0.2 percent in the previous three months.
On a year-on-year basis, employment grew 1.3 percent after a 1.4 percent gain in the previous quarter. The initial estimate for employment growth was 1.2 percent.
In 2018, employment grew 1.5 percent, which was revised from 1.2 percent, versus 1.6 percent in 2017.
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