Topping the list was Romania, which grew in real terms by an astonishing 4.8% over the year earlier in the final quarter of last year.

Cyprus was also beaten by a clutch of other East European countries. Slovenia grew year on year by 3.6%, Croatia by 3.5%, Bulgaria by 3.4%, Poland by 3.1%, Lithuania (and Spain) by 3% and Slovakia by 2.9%.

With a growth rate of 2.8% in the fourth quarter, Cyprus therefore came joint ninth with Estonia.

At the other end of the scale was Greece, still mired in recession and the only country which reported a decline. Real GDP in Greece recorded a year-on-year contraction of 1.1%.

Cyprus did record a higher growth rate than average, however. The EU28 growth rate averaged 1.9%, while the eurozone rose by 1.7%.

Growth in the UK expanded year on year by 2%, the same pace of growth as the third quarter.

Compared with the previous quarter, growth in Cyprus slowed, from 0.8% in the third quarter to 0.5% in the fourth.

Source: InCyprus