2. Regional Reports: 2.1 North America: 2.1.1 The United States

According to IMF statistics, 2011 U.S. real GDP grew 1.7%, down from 3.0% growth in 2010. Impacted by the sluggish economy, non-residential building construction contracted in 2011. Some segments of the nonresidential construction market still posted growth, however, which also drove up chiller demand in the United States.