The national accounts in 2018 GDP slowed down markedly (+1.7% after +2.3%), households’ purchasing power slowed down slightly

In 2018, activity decelerated markedly in France: gross domestic product (GDP) in volume terms grew by 1.7%, after +2.3% in 2017 and +1.1% in 2016. Investment and household consumption expenditures slowed down. Exports decelerated, but less sharply than imports, thus the contribution of foreign trade balance to growth rebounded. In nominal terms, foreign trade balance improved slightly despite the deterioration of the energy bill. The purchasing power of households’ disposable income grew a little less than in 2017. Households’ saving rate grew to reach 14.2%, while non-financial corporations’ profit ratio decreased to 31.2%.