MADRID, April 12 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for Spain's economic growth this year to 1.9% from 1.5% on Friday, citing the country's "strong resilience" amid a general weakening in the euro zone.
The IMF said the higher growth should be driven by increased domestic consumption, the effects of the European Union's post-pandemic recovery plan and an expected slowdown in inflation coupled with a relaxation of interest rates.
However, it added that private investment remained weak and consumption had only recently managed to recover the levels of late 2019, "indicating subdued domestic demand overall since the pandemic".
The IMF also reiterated its prior projection of 2.1% growth of the country's gross domestic product in 2025.
Last year, Spain's GDP expanded by 2.5%.
(Reporting by Belén Carreño; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip)
