Quarterly national accounts in Q4 2017 National accounts in base 2010 - Detailed figures
French GDP increased by 0.6% in Q4 2017 Quarterly national accounts - second estimate - fourth quarter 2017
In Q4 2017, GDP in volume terms* rose again: +0.6% after +0.5%. On average over the year, GDP accelerated markedly in 2017: +2.0% after +1.1% in 2016.
Total gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) slightly accelerated (+1.2% after +0.9%) while household consumption expenditures slowed down (+0.2% after +0.6%). Overall, final domestic demand excluding inventory changes contributed by +0.5 points to GDP growth in Q4 2017 (after +0.6 points).
Foreign trade balance contributed positively to GDP growth (+0.6 points after −0.4 points): exports accelerated sharply (+2.4% after +1.0%) while imports significantly slowed down (+0.3% after +2.2%). Conversely, changes in inventories contributed negatively (−0.4 points after +0.3 points).
In Q4 2017, GDP in volume terms* rose again: +0.6% after +0.5%. On average over the year, GDP accelerated markedly in 2017: +2.0% after +1.1% in 2016.
Total gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) slightly accelerated (+1.2% after +0.9%) while household consumption expenditures slowed down (+0.2% after +0.6%). Overall, final domestic demand excluding inventory changes contributed by +0.5 points to GDP growth in Q4 2017 (after +0.6 points).
Foreign trade balance contributed positively to GDP growth (+0.6 points after −0.4 points): exports accelerated sharply (+2.4% after +1.0%) while imports significantly slowed down (+0.3% after +2.2%). Conversely, changes in inventories contributed negatively (−0.4 points after +0.3 points).
* This growth rate is seasonally and working-day adjusted; volumes are chain-linked previous-year-prices volumes.
graphiqueGraph – GDP and its main components

- Source: INSEE
tableauTab1 – GDP and its main components: chain-linked volumes
2017 Q1 | 2017 Q2 | 2017 Q3 | 2017 Q4 | 2016 | 2017 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GDP | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.0 |
Imports | 1.1 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 |
Household consumption *expenditure | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 1.3 |
General government's *consumption expenditure | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
GFCF | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 3.8 |
*of which Non-financial corporated and unincorporated enterprises | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 4.4 |
Households | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 5.4 |
General government | -0.6 | 0.1 | -0.1 | 0.6 | -0.1 | -1.0 |
Exports | -0.7 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 3.3 |
Contributions: | ||||||
Internal demand excluding inventory changes | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 1.9 |
Inventory changes | 0.6 | -0.5 | 0.3 | -0.4 | -0.1 | 0.4 |
Net foreign trade | -0.5 | 0.6 | -0.4 | 0.6 | -0.8 | -0.3 |
- Source: INSEE
Total production kept on increasing
In Q4 2017, total production slightly accelerated (+0.9% after +0.7%), mainly due to manufacturing industry (+1.5% after +0.8%). By contrast, energy production weakened a little. In services, overall production rose again (+0.8% after +0.7%).
On average over the year, total production sped up (+2.4% after +0.9%), in particular in manufacturing industry (+2.0% after +0.8%) and in construction. Agricultural production also recovered (+2.4% after −5.6%), after the adverse weather conditions in 2016.
tableauTab2 – Production, consumption and GFCF: main components
2016 Q1 | 2017 Q2 | 2017 Q3 | 2017 Q4 | 2016 | 2017 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Production of branches | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 2.4 |
Goods | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 2.0 |
Manufactured Industry | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 2.0 |
Construction | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2.6 |
Market services | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.8 |
Non-market services | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 1.4 |
Household consumption | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 1.3 |
Food products | 0.4 | 0.4 | -0.5 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.8 |
Energy | -2.3 | 0.3 | 1.4 | -1.0 | 2.1 | 0.0 |
Engineered goods | 0.5 | 0.2 | 1.2 | -0.3 | 2.4 | 1.7 |
Services | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
GFCF | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 3.8 |
Manufactured goods | 1.9 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 6.1 | 1.8 |
Construction | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 2.6 |
Market services | 2.8 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 3.9 | 6.4 |
- Source: INSEE
Household consumption slowed down
Household consumption slowed down in Q4 2017, (+0.2% after +0.6%). Consumption of services grew virtually at the same pace than in Q3 (+0.5% after +0.6%) while consumption of goods declined a little (−0.2% after +0.6%).
Energy consumption clearly fell back (−1.0% after +1.4%), mainly as a backlash from the temperatures below the seasonal norms in September.
Expenditure in engineered goods decreased (−0.3% after +1.2%), mostly because of a decline in“other industrial products” and a sharp slowdown in equipment goods. On average over the year, household consumption decelerated in 2017 (+1.3% after +2.1%), mainly because of a sharp slowdown in goods.
tableauTab3 – Sectoral accounts
2017 Q1 | 2017 Q2 | 2017 Q3 | 2017 Q4 | 2016 | 2017 (ovhg) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Profit ratio of NFCs* (level) | 31.6 | 31.8 | 31.8 | 31.8 | ||
Households' purchasing power | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
- *NFCs: non-financial corporations
- Source: INSEE
tableauTab4 – Households' disposable income and ratios of households' account
2017 Q1 | 2017 Q2 | 2017 Q3 | 2017 Q4 | 2016 | 2017 (ovhg) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HDI | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.4 | |
Household purchasing power | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 1.6 | |
HDI by cu* (purchasing power) | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | |
Adjusted HDI (purchasing power) | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 1.6 | |
Saving rate (level) | 14.1 | 14.4 | 14.3 | 14.0 | ||
Financial saving rate (level) | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
- *cu: consumption unit
- Source: INSEE
Non-financial corporations investment accelerated
In Q4 2017, total gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) accelerated (+1.2% after +0.9%). Investment in construction rose at the same pace than in Q3 (+0.5%) ; it remained dynamic in the building sector but decreased in public works. GFCF in manufactured goods sharply accelerated (+1.8% after +1.3%), particularly in transport equipment. Investment in market services also remained dynamic (+1.7% after +1.1%) notably in the information-communication sector (softwares publishing).
All in all, non-financial corporations investment accelerated in Q4 (+1.6% after +1.1%), while household investment slowed down a little (+0.6% after +0.9%).
Over the year 2017, total GFCF accelerated sharply: +3.8% after +2.7%.
tableauTab5 – Ratios of non-financial corporations' account
2017 Q1 | 2017 Q2 | 2017 Q3 | 2017 Q4 | 2016 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Profit share | 31.6 | 31.8 | 31.8 | 31.8 | |
Investment ratio | 23.7 | 23.8 | 23.8 | 23.3 | |
Savings ratio | 19.7 | 19.8 | 20.0 | 19.7 | |
Self-financing ratio | 83.2 | 83.2 | 83.8 | 84.3 |
- Source: INSEE
Foreign trade balance contributed positively to GDP growth
In Q4 2017, exports accelerated (+2.4% after +1.0%), because of sales of transport equipment. At the same time, imports significantly decelerated (+0.3% after +2.2%), mainly because of a sharp decline in transport equipment. All in all, foreign trade balance contributed to GDP growth by +0.6 points (after −0.4 points).
On average over the year, exports considerably accelerated (+3.3% after +1.9% in 2016) while imports progressed virtually at the same pace than in 2016 (+4.1% after +4.2%). As a consequence, the weight of foreign trade balance on GDP growth was lesser in 2017 than in 2016 (−0.3 points after −0.8 points).
Changes in inventories weighed on GDP growth
In Q4 2017, changes in inventories contributed negatively to GDP growth (−0.4 points after +0.3 points). This decrease is mainly due to transport equipment (notably aeronautics).
On average over the year, the contribution of changes in inventories to the activity stood at +0.4 points (after −0.1 points).
tableauTab6 – Expenditure. receipts and net borrowing of public administrations
2017 Q1 | 2017 Q2 | 2017 Q3 | 2017 Q4 | 2016 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
In billions of euros | |||||
Total expenditure | 316.8 | 318.1 | 321.2 | 1256.9 | |
Total receipts | 300.0 | 303.8 | 305.4 | 1181.1 | |
Net lending (+) or borrowing (−) | −16.8 | −14.3 | −15.8 | −75.8 | |
In % of GDP | |||||
Net lending (+) or borrowing (−) | −3.0 | −2.5 | −2.7 | −3.4 |
- Source: INSEE
Revisions
The revision of several indicators led to increase the annual estimation of GDP growth in 2017 by 0.1 points, from 1.9% to 2.0%.
Avertissement
Quarterly national accounts
Quarterly debt of the general government
Sources
Quarterly national accounts
Quarterly accounts are a consistent set of indicators which provides a global overview of recent economic activity.
Time series of the main aggregates of quarterly national accounts can be accessed through the "Summary". They are classified into eight categories:
- Gross domestic product (GDP) and main economic aggregates ;
- Goods and services ;
- Households' consumption ;
- Foreign trade ;
- Activities ;
- Institutional sectors ;
- Households' income and purchasing power ;
- Public finances.
For each category, are available :
- synthetic files displaying from the accounts the relevant information for economic analysis ,
- sometimes, one or two files displaying all the data available.
Documentation
Abbreviated methodology (pdf, 140 Ko )
Methodology - First estimate at 30 days (pdf, 112 Ko )