The growth of the Bulgarian economy in 2011 was 1.7%, announced the National Statistical Institute. The Ministry of Finance had forecasted a GDP growth of 2.8%. However, to the background of the overall situation is Europe, the results are not that bad. In the last three months of 2011 the GDP grew by 1.6% compared to the same period in 2010 and by 0.3% compared to the previous trimester. These figures place Bulgaria among the fast economic runners in Europe.