Portuguese Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by 2.5% in volume in the third quarter 2017, compared with the same period of 2016 (growth rate of 3.0% in the second quarter 2017). The positive contribution of domestic demand increased with an acceleration of private consumption while Investment decelerated. Net external demand contribution to the year-on-year GDP growth rate was negative, in contrast to the previous quarter, reflecting the deceleration in volume of Exports of Goods and Services and the acceleration of Imports of Goods and Services.
In comparison with the second quarter of 2017, GDP increased by 0.5% in real terms (quarter-on-quarter rate of change of 0.2% in the previous quarter). The contribution of domestic demand increased slightly in the third quarter, due to the increase of private consumption, while Investment decreased. The negative contribution of net external demand to the GDP quarter-on-quarter growth rate remained unchanged, with Imports of Goods and Services increasing more than Exports of Goods and Services.