Karmen Hren of the Statistics Office said that the increase was fuelled by flourishing exports, domestic spending and investment, and was the largest since the second quarter of 1999, when a spending rush ahead of the introduction of VAT provided a one-time boost to growth.

It is also the fifth consecutive quarter that the economy has expanded at near or above 5 pct, he said.

Exports were the main motor of growth in the first quarter, Hren said, expanding by 13.6 pct compared to the same period a year ago. Imports also grew by 13.7 pct.

He added that the figures did not come as a surprise, since all indicators had been pointing to the fact that the economy was in good shape.

Saso Polanec, of the Ljubljana Economics Faculty, said the current robust growth was a result of Slovenia's integration into the common EU market, the strong consumption demand in Germany, which is Slovenia's main export market, and the fast growth of the construction sector.