OSLO: Norway's economy emerged from recession in the second quarter following two consecutive quarters of negative growth, official figures released on Thursday showed.

Norway's mainland GDP, which excludes the oil and gas sectors and the shipping industry, grew by 0.3 percent in the three months to June after a 1.3 percent decline in the first quarter of 2009 and 1.0 percent fall in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Traditionally, a recession is counted as two consecutive quarterly figures showing a contraction.

Mainland GDP is considered a better indicator of the Scandinavian country's economic health, since the oil and gas sector represents 25 percent of its economic growth but employs only about one percent of its working-age population.

Norway is the fifth largest exporter of oil and the third largest natural gas exporter.