Poland's high-income economy[3] is the 6th largest in the EU and one of the fastest growing economies in Central Europe, with an annual growth rate of over 6.0% before the late-2000s recession.[4] It is the only member country of the European Union to have avoided a decline in GDP, meaning that in 2009 Poland has created the most GDP growth in the EU[5]. As of December 2009 the Polish economy had not entered recession nor contracted, while its IMF 2010 GDP growth forecast of 1.9 per cent is expected to be upgraded.