Denmark – Scandinavia’s weakest economy – returned to growth in the first quarter as investments and consumer spending propelled a recovery.

“Denmark is making the long hard pull to leave the crisis behind,” Helge Pedersen, chief economist at Nordea Bank AB, said in a note, according to Bloomberg. “Domestic demand is on the move and international indicators suggest the most important export markets in Germany, Sweden and the U.K. have gained momentum.”

Gross domestic product increased 0.9 percent in the first quarter, after slipping a revised 0.5 percent in the three months through December, Statistics Denmark said. Seven economists surveyed by Bloomberg on average estimated a 0.6 percent gain.