Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia probably enjoyed an economic growth rate of 5.15 percent last year, the fastest pace since 2013 and higher than the 5.07-percent rate in 2017, a recent poll forecasts.

Indonesia’s economic growth rate likely slowed slightly to 5.11 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018, less than the 5.17-percent rate in the previous quarter, according to the Reuters poll of 16 economists.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said 2018 was “not an easy year”, given market turbulence rooted in interest rate hikes in the US and the US-China trade war.

She called the government’s 5.17-percent growth prediction for 2018 “a testament to Indonesia’s economic resilience”.

Rahul Bajoria, Singapore-based economist at Barclays, said moderation in the fourth quarter growth reflected its large trade deficit stemming from poor exports and high imports.

The Indonesian government targets a 5.3-percent growth rate for this year.-VNA