According to the report from INSEE, in Q1 2021, gross domestic product (GDP) in volume terms fell slightly:  -0.1% after -1.5% in Q4 2020. Economists had expected a 0.4% increase. It stood 4.7% below its level in Q4 2019, which was the last quarter before the Covid-19 crisis.

Households’ consumption expenditure was almost stable (+0.1% after -5.6%) and remained well below its pre-crisis level (-6.8% compared to Q4 2019). Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) increased slightly (+0.2% after +1.7%) and was closer to its pre-crisis level (-2.3%). Overall, final domestic demand excluding inventories contributed by +0.1 points to GDP growth this quarter.

Imports remained relatively dynamic (+1.1% after +2.2%), while exports fell slightly (-0.2% after +4.9%). Imports were thus 6.9% below their pre-crisis level, while exports remained further away (-9.9%). Overall, the external balance contributed negatively to GDP growth: -0.4 points, after +0.7 points. Conversely, changes in inventories made a positive contribution to GDP growth (+0.2 points after +0.6 points).