(Adds background, full year GDP figure)
LIMA, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Peru's economy slowed down for
the second month in a row, missing forecasts for the last month
of 2022, figures from the national statistics institute showed
on Wednesday, as the country faces a wave of social unrest that
began early December.
The Andean nation's gross domestic product (GDP) rose
0.86% year-on-year in the month, while economists expected a
1.25% expansion, according to the median forecast in a Reuters
poll.
Protests have rocked the world's No. 2 copper producing
country, since the December 7 removal and arrest of former
President Pedro Castillo. The clashes between protesters and
security forces have blocked roads and left dozens dead.
The central bank's economic studies unit last week said
the unrest had likely impacted the country's economy and
inflation, as it hit both the country's infrastructure and
transport networks.
With the latest figure, Peru's 2022 economic growth
lands at 2.68%, a sharp decline from the 13.61% jump the country
- historically one Latin America's fastest-growing economies -
recorded in 2021.
The 2021 figure, Peru's highest on record, was driven by
a rapid recovery from the coronavirus pandemic-driven downturn.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Gabriel Araujo; Editing
by Sarah Morland)
