LISBON, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The growth of the Portuguese economy slowed down in the third quarter this year with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increasing by 2.1 percent compared to the same period last year, mainly due to a slowdown in consumption.
According to the figure revealed on Wednesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the GDP growth of the third quarter was down from 2.4 percent in the same period last year
The Portuguese government expected the country's economic growth to reach 2.3 percent for this year.
"This is the 18th consecutive quarter of growth of the Portuguese economy. The growth occurs in a context of the balance of external accounts and fiscal consolidation," the Finance Ministry said in a statement.
"This is the path that guarantees greater resilience of the Portuguese economy and allows us to continue to guarantee the duties of the state in a continuous way," it concluded.
