GDP (gross domestic product ) increased by 0.1% in both the Eurozone (EA16) and the EU27 during the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with the previous quarter, according to flash estimates published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In the third quarter of 2009, growth rates were +0.4% and +0.3% respectively. The German economy, the Eurozone's largest, stagnated in the quarter.; the No.2, the French economy grew and Italy shrank.

The recovery of the German economy lost momentum at the end of 2009: The German statistics office Destatis said the GDP in the fourth quarter of 2009 stagnated at previous quarter’s level (+0.0%). So the slight upward trend of the economy observed in the second (+0.4%) and third quarter of 2009 (+0.7%) did not continue. Destatis said the “only positive contribution” to German growth in the fourth quarter was foreign trade. Consumer spending and investment dipped and compounding the gloom Axel Weber, Bundesbank president, said in a comment to Reuters that the severe winter could have hit German growth in the first months of this year. “Given the unfavourable weather conditions, it’s not ruled out that [German] GDP could move sideways or even contract slightly in the first quarter,” he said.

The French economy suffered its largest contraction since World War II in 2009, but rebounded more strongly than foreseen in the fourth quarter, the statistics office INSEE said Friday. French GDP shrank by 2.2% for the year but grew by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, INSEE said. Meanwhile, Italy's economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.2% in the fourth quarter of 2009. GDP in the Eurozone's third largest economy has now posted six declines out of the past seven quarters. Statistics agency ISTAT reported GDP was down 2.8% year-on-year, reflecting the steep decline in activity since Italy fell into its worst post war recession in the spring of 2008.

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, Eurozone seasonally adjusted GDP decreased by 2.1% in the Eurozone and by 2.3% in the EU27 in the fourth quarter of 2009, after -4.0% and -4.3% respectively in the previous quarter.

During the fourth quarter of 2009, US GDP increased by 1.4% compared with the previous quarter, after +0.6% in the third quarter. US GDP rose by 0.1% compared with the same quarter of the previous year (-2.6% in the previous quarter).

Over the whole year 2009, GDP fell by 4.0% in the Eurozone and by 4.1% in the EU27.

Greece's economy contracted more sharply than expected, by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, and official data on Friday showed downward revisions for the previous three quarters too. The shrinkage in the third quarter was 0.5%. The NSS statistics agency originally put the third quarter fall at 0.4%.

There was no data for Ireland.