It was the first economic expansion after four consecutive quarters of declines amid the pandemic crisis, mainly driven by the key car industry.

On a seasonally adjusted quarterly basis, the economy shrank 1.8%, following an upwardly revised 0.8% growth in the fourth quarter of 2020. In Q1, the GDP in current prices amounted to EUR 21.7 billion, it represents inter-annual increase by 1%, said the Bratislava-based statistics agency.