STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden’s economy grew more quickly than expected in the third quarter, as a vaccine rollout accelerated and COVID-19 curbs were lifted, a preliminary estimate from the Statistics Office showed on Thursday.
GDP expanded by 1.8% in the third quarter from the previous three-month period, outperforming a forecast of 1.3% in a Reuters poll. The economy grew 4.7% compared to the third quarter last year.
The Swedish economy has bounced back more rapidly from the pandemic than many others in Europe, with activity returning to pre-COVID-19 levels in the second quarter.
Sweden, which never went to lockdown during the pandemic, lifted almost all remaining curbs and recommendations at the end of September.
Figures from the National Institute of Economic Research showed on Thursday that Swedish consumer confidence fell to 103.1 in October from 106.6 in the previous month, but manufacturing confidence rose to a historically very strong 128.5 from 126.1.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander, Editing by Helena Soderpalm and Clarence Fernandez)
