In 2022, gross domestic product (GDP) benefited above all from the rebound in activity recorded in the second part of 2021 "at the end of the health crisis", explained the statistical institute.
Quarterly growth "was then much less dynamic," he said.
The figures are however better than expected, as INSEE was expecting GDP up 2.5% and a contraction of 0.2% in the fourth quarter.
The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire praised in the wake of this announcement the "exceptional resistance capacities (...) exceptional" of French companies and employees.
This level of growth "testifies to the strong rebound of our economy after the Covid shock and its resilience in the face of the energy crisis", he added.
The government initially expected annual growth of 2.7%.
After the economy grew by 0.2% in the third quarter, the last three months of the year were marked by a sharp drop in household consumption, penalized by a decline in purchases of food products, which experienced a double-digit price increases.
Energy consumption also fell in the fourth quarter, due to a very mild autumn but also to energy sobriety efforts.
The production of goods and services over the October-December period decelerated, affected by the fall strikes in the refineries and, in trade, by lower household consumption.
In the energy sector, it remained "low", according to INSEE, disturbed by the maintenance of nuclear reactors.
Conversely, foreign trade made a positive contribution to GDP growth, with imports falling more sharply than exports.
Although they continued to progress, investments lost momentum (0.8% after 2.3% in the third quarter).
© 2023 AFP