German growth picks up to 0.5 percent in third quarter

FRANKFURT: Growth of the German economy, Europe's biggest, picked up in the third quarter, driven primarily by strong domestic demand and rising consumer spending, official data showed on Tuesday.

Germany's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.5 percent in the period from July to September compared with the preceding three months, the federal statistics office Destatis calculated in a statement.

Growth in the second quarter had stood at 0.3 percent, revised upwards from an original estimate of 0.1 percent.