France's gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2012 fell by 0.3 percent quarter on quarter, after a 0.2 percent quarter-on-quarter increase in the third quarter, according to the detailed statistics released by France's National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE). In the whole of 2012, France's GDP remained stable year on year, after an increase of 1.7 percent year on year in 2011.
During the fourth quarter, in France household consumption expenditure decreased by 0.1 percent quarter on quarter, while it saw a 0.1 percent year-on-year decrease in 2012. Meanwhile, France's import value fell 1.2 percent quarter on quarter in the fourth quarter after a 0.2 percent decrease in the previous quarter, while the export value fell by 0.6 percent quarter on quarter in Q4, after a one percent quarter-on-quarter increase rate recorded in the previous quarter. In the whole of 2012, France's import value declined by 0.2 percent compared to 2011, following the 5.2 percent increase recorded in the previous year, and the country's export value rose by 2.5 percent in 2012, following the 5.5 percent of rise in 2011, both on year-on-year basis.