Washington, April 29 (IANS): US real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 0.2 percent in the first quarter this year, as uneven growth still haunted the world's largest economy amid a protracted weak recovery, according to an advance estimate released by the US Commerce Department on Wednesday.

Personal consumption, which accounts for about 70 percent of the US economy, grew 1.9 percent, compared with an increase of 4.4 percent in the previous quarter, Xinhua reported.

Non-residential fixed investment shrank while residential investment sharply slowed. Exports contracted 7.2 percent, compared with an increase of 4.5 percent, as a stronger dollar sapped demands for US goods.

The US economy typically experienced harsh times in the first quarter in recent years. It contracted 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2014, as the unprecedented chilly winter weather pummelled business investment and consumer spending.

The sharp slowdown this year is blamed for a bout of blizzards and a strong dollar's drag on exports.

The US economy grew 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, and 5 percent in the previous one.