Italy's economy grows 0.3 pct in Q1

ROME -- Italian gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.3 percent in the first three months of this year compared with the previous quarter, the country's National Statistics Institute (ISTAT) said Friday.

Compared to the same period a year earlier, the economy's growth rate was 0.7 percent.

Italy's economy grew slightly faster than originally forecast, keeping pace with the European Union (EU) as a whole, said ISTAT.

EU economy also grew by 0.3 percent in the first quarter compared with the previous quarter, according to preliminary data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat). But compared to the same three-month period in 2023, it only grew by 0.5 percent.

Italy's economy has been among the most consistent in the EU, with modest but steady growth. According to ISTAT, the economy showed year-on-year growth in every economic quarter since the first quarter of 2021.