Russian GDP in the first half of the year increased by 4.4%

Russia's GDP for the first half of 2012 increased by 4.4 percent compared to the same period last year, the RIA Novosti website reports. Rosstat noted that such an increase corresponds to the assessment of the Ministry of Economic Development.

So, according to the results of the first quarter, Rosstat estimated the growth of the economy in annual terms of 4.9 percent, for the second quarter of GDP grew by 4 percent. In January-June last year, Russian GDP grew by 3.7 percent

In total, in 2011, GDP growth amounted to 4.3 percent. This year, the Ministry of Economic Development predicts more modest dynamics. So, in early April, the ministry lowered the official forecast for GDP growth by 2012 to 3.4 percent with 3.7 percent, although the head of the Ministry of Economy Andrei Belousov did not exclude its reverse increase to the level of 3.7-4 percent.

It should be noted that in July the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reduced the forecast for the growth of the world economy in 2012 from 3.6 to 3.5 percent. The forecast for Russia for GDP growth for 2012 has not changed (4 percent), next year it was reduced from 4 percent to 3.9 percent. These figures are given in the new report of the Prospects of the World Economy Foundation.