BRUSSELS - THE economy of the 16 nations using the euro single currency contracted a record 2.5 per cent in the first quarter as the recession took hold in Europe, according to official data on Wednesday.

The figure, which saw seasonally adjusted gross domestic product drop from minus 1.8 per cent in the final quarter of 2008, confirmed a previous estimate on June 3 from the EU's Eurostat statistics agency.

The eurozone economy contracted by 4.9 per cent compared to the first quarter of last year.

In the entire 27-nation EU, the economy contracted by 2.4 per cent over one quarter and by 4.7 per cent over 12 months, Eurostat said in a statement. -- AFP