The projection was lowered from 2.6% in the previous quarterly Inflation Report and was down from 2.5% in an analysis published in November based on the 2015 budget bill, which has since been approved by lawmakers.
The MNB said the “cyclical component” of the gap would be equivalent to half a percentage point next year, but would decline to just 0.1 percentage point in 2016.
The central bank acknowledged the contribution of both lower-than-expected increases in budget expenditures as well as the pick-up in economic growth to the improved balance.