Country's real GDP increased in first quarter of 2026 at annualized rate of 2.2 percent

The country's gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 2% in the first quarter of this year, compared to a 0.5% increase in real GDP in the fourth quarter of 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday.

The agency also reported investment, exports, consumer spending and government spending were contributors to the first-quarter real GDP increase. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, also increased, the agency also said.

The first-quarter increase was lower than the expected 2.2%, according to CNBC.com.