Statement from U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson on the Advance Estimate of Gross Domestic Product in the Fourth Quarter 2011
The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis today released the advance estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) for the fourth quarter of 2011. Real GDP rose 2.8 percent at an annual rate, up from 1.8 percent in the third quarter. Real GDP for 2011 overall grew 1.7 percent. The increase in real GDP reflected growth across several key economic sectors. Real exports of goods and services increased 4.7 percent in the fourth quarter, the same increase as in the third.