Scotland has officially come out of recession, according to new figures.

The economy grew by 0.2% in the final quarter of last year - although growth was down 4.8% over the course of 2009.

The recovery, between October and December last year, was helped by growth in the service sector of 0.2%, with the production sector also growing by 0.8%.

The construction sector was down by 2.8% but this was an improvement on the 10.8% fall in growth it experienced over the course of 2009.

Over the year, the service sector fell by 3.6% and the production sector fell by 8.9%.

It means that Scotland emerged from recession at the same time as the rest of the UK, whose figures are published earlier.

But the UK economy bounced back with 0.4% growth between last October and December, twice the level of Scotland. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by 4.6% across the UK in 2009.

However, Scotland did spend less time in recession, having gone into downturn three months later than the rest of the UK  In Scotland the recession lasted for more than a year, having started between July and September 2008. 

Real estate and business services, hotels and catering, financial services and retail and wholesale were among the sectors which grew in the final quarter of last year.

Manufacturing was also up by 1.2% but electricity, gas and water supply fell.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Today we have welcome confirmation that growth is spreading across sectors and Scotland's economy, overall, is now out of recession.

"That is good news for households and businesses across Scotland.

"It means that the recession in Scotland has been shorter than the UK as a whole, vindicating the decisive and comprehensive action the Scottish Government has taken through our Economic Recovery Plan."

He added: "There can be no doubt that recovery remains fragile and that we face considerable challenges as we look to consolidate recovery and foster a continued and strengthening return to growth."

CBI Scotland's assistant director David Lonsdale said: "This latest data marks a welcome, though decidedly modest, exit from the recession in the final quarter of last year and demonstrates just how fragile the recovery is.

"For many firms and individuals it will not feel like recovery for some time yet, reinforcing the need for supportive business and economic policies to be at the very heart of the agendas being put forward by all of the political parties which aspire to government."