LONDON
The UK economy grew 1.9 percent in 2013, the fastest annual growth rate since 2007.
However, GDP for the fourth quarter fell to 0.7%, down from 0.8% in the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced on Tuesday.
ONS Chief Economist, Joe Grice said that there has been growth in most parts of the economy.
The UK's economic output remains at 1.3%, below what it stood at in the first quarter of 2008. However, output increased in three of the four main industrial groups within the last quarter of 2013, compared with the third quarter of the same year, ONS said.
The UK agriculture sector increased by 0.5 percent; production increased by 0.7 percent; and the services industry increased by 0.8 percent. However, the construction sector decreased by 0.3 percent.
In December, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility revised the UK 2013 economic growth forecast to 1.4 percent, from 0.6 percent. Growth for 2014 is expected to reach 2.4 percent.
UK unemployment figures published on January 22 showed a drop to 7.1 percent. The number of people out of work fell by 167,000 to 2.32 million in the three months to November, from 7.4 percent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The ONS revealed that the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in December fell by 24,000 to 1.25 million.
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