Official figures show that the Spanish economy remained stuck in recession in the fourth quarter of 2009.
The country's central bank said its economy shrank 0.1% from the previous three months and contracting by 3.6% in 2009 as a whole.
The bank, in its January monthly report, described last year's decline as 'the sharpest in recent decades'.
The latest figures are in line with forecasts by the Spanish government, which is to announce its official estimate on February 11.
Spain entered recession, defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction, at the end of 2008. The pace of decline eased in the fourth quarter of 2009 and the government contends that the worst of the slump is over.
