Spanish economy finished last year with 3.1% growth, official data just released shows

The Spanish economy grew 3.1% in 2017 thanks to an increase in consumer spending and a higher rate of investment, data released on Thursday by the government has confirmed.

The national GDP figure showed an increase of 0.7% in the fourth quarter of last year, slightly slower than in previous quarters, meaning the economy grew slightly less than in 2016, when it expanded by 3.3%. Last year was the third consecutive year that GDP increased more than 3%.