Irish Gross Domestic Product expands by 3.5% exceeding forecasts

Modified domestic demand, which excludes multinational activity, grew by 1.3% in the three months to the end of September

Commenting on the CSO's figures, Minister for Finance Jack Chambers said that importantly, growth on an annual basis has been broad based in nature with both consumer spending and modified investment making a positive contribution. Photo: Sam Boal/Collin Photos

Irish Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded by 3.5% in the three months from July to September, exceeding prior forecasts of 2%, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has found.

Releasing its latest national accounts on Thursday, new figures show the increase was underpinned by a strong multinational sector and rising expenditure.