Turkish economy 2017 growth projected at 7.3 pct

By Murat Birinci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey's economic growth last year is projected to total 7.3 percent, a panel of economists said in a survey on Thursday.

A group of 17 experts questioned by Anadolu Agency projected the figure ahead of fourth quarter gross domestic product (GDP) data, set to be released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) on March 29.

Among the economists' expectations, the highest growth forecast for last year's economic growth was 7.9 percent, while the lowest was 6.6 percent.

According to the economists, Turkey's growth in the fourth quarter of 2017 is expected to total 7.1 percent. The highest economic growth percentage predicted among the economists for the fourth quarter was 9.5 percent, while the lowest was 4.5 percent.

Economists also forecasted that Turkey would see annual growth of 4.6 percent at the end of 2018, with the highest forecast at 5.5 percent and the lowest at 4 percent.

Turkey's economy expanded 5.3 percent in the first quarter and 5.4 percent in the second quarter of 2017. In the third quarter, Turkey’s economy became the fastest-growing among G20 countries, showing double-digit (11.1 percent) growth performance.