The Finnish gross domestic product grew by 0.4 percent on quarter in the three months to September of 2018, compared to a 0.3 percent expansion in the previous period and higher than a preliminary estimate of 0.3 percent growth, final figure showed. Growth was driven by government spending (0.3 percent after showing no growth in Q2). Meantime, household consumption declined (-0.5 percent vs 0.4 percent in Q2), fixed investment contracted 1.4 percent, after a 0.2 percent drop in the previous quarter. Net external demand contributed negatively to GDP growth, as exports fell 1.8 percent (vs -1.2 percent in Q2) while imports went up 0.5 percent (vs -0.2 percent). On a yearly basis, the economy advanced by 2.4 percent, following a downwardly revised 2.3 percent growth in the second quarter and above a preliminary reading of 2.2 percent. GDP Growth Rate in Finland averaged 0.53 percent from 1975 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 5 percent in the third quarter of 1980 and a record low of -6.80 percent in the first quarter of 2009.
GDP Growth Rate in Finland is expected to be 0.50 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate GDP Growth Rate in Finland to stand at 0.40 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Finland GDP Growth Rate is projected to trend around 0.60 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.