The German economy grew by a less than expected 2.2 percent in 2017, the strongest rate in six years and an improvement on the previous year, a preliminary estimate from the Federal Statistics Office showed on Thursday.

Europe’s largest economy is benefiting from rising private consumption and resurgent exports buoyed by a recovery of the global economy.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected growth in gross domestic product (GDP) of 2.4 percent after an expansion rate of 1.9 percent in the previous year.

Adjusted for calendar effects, the growth rate was 2.5 percent last year, the statistic office said.

Source: cnbc
Germany's growth in 2017 hit its strongest in six years