Belarus economy up 4.5 pct in Jan-June 2018

Minsk, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The gross domestic product (GDP) of Belarus has increased by 4.5 percent in January-June 2018, the National Statistics Committee of Belarus said on Tuesday.

The country's GDP reached 55.8 billion rubles (about 28.46 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2018, the official statistics says.

The GDP growth has slowed for the first half of 2018. In January-February GDP grew by 5.6 percent, in January-March - by 5.1 percent, in January-April - by 4.8 percent, in January-May - by 4.7 percent, the committee added.

The Belarusian authorities predict at least 3.5 percent GDP growth in 2018.

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank says Belarus'economic growth will not exceed 3 percent in 2018.