Greece: in May 2011 the European Commission expected growth of +1.1% for 2012. The outcome: −8.3%
Greece: real GDP growth, %, 2012
Reality missed the forecast by 9.4 percentage points in a year. The forecast came close only in the last editions, with the year under way.
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In spring and autumn the European Commission forecasts every EU country for this year and the next.
Across: when each forecast came out. Blue: the forecasts for 2012 in each edition; orange: the outcome. The shading is the error.
- European Commission, November 2010
+1.1%
European Commission forecasts (PDF 2000–2010, AMECO 2011–2026)
- European Commission, May 2011
+1.1%
European Commission forecasts (PDF 2000–2010, AMECO 2011–2026)
- European Commission, November 2011
−2.8%
European Commission forecasts (PDF 2000–2010, AMECO 2011–2026)
- European Commission, May 2012
−4.7%
European Commission forecasts (PDF 2000–2010, AMECO 2011–2026)
- European Commission, November 2012
−6.0%
European Commission forecasts (PDF 2000–2010, AMECO 2011–2026)
- Outcome: 2012
−8.3%
The largest misses of a next-year forecast (without the pandemic years 2020–2021); for borrowing, the forecast made one or two years before the fiscal year with the largest overshoot in pounds. Outcome: latest: AMECO spring 2026 (2026-05-21).
The card does not say the forecast was worse than others: in 2008–09 almost everyone missed the same way. It shows how far reality can move from an official expectation in a single year.
A question for this picture
Could this have been seen a year ahead, and what should one have done with the forecast?