The statistics institute INS said the gross domestic product expanded at an annual rate of 2.2% in the January-March period. That was better than the 1.4% pace initially estimated.
Compared with the fourth quarter of 2012, the economy grew 0.7% in the first three months, up from a quarterly rate of 0.5% previously reported.
The data are adjusted for seasonal factors.
In unadjusted data, the annual growth was 2.2% in the first quarter, slightly better than an increase of 2.1% initially estimated.
The industry contributed 0.7% to the GDP growth in the first three months, while retail sales and constructions made positive contributions of 0.4% and 0.1%, respectively, INS data showed.
Real estate transactions added 0.2% to the country’s GDP, but agriculture had a negative impact of 0.3%.
Final consumption edged down 0.2% on the year in the first quarter, while gross capital formation was down 0.1%.
Net exports, however, contributed 3% to the first quarter GDP, the data showed.
Romania expects the economy will advance by 1.6% in 2013, after an increase of 0.7% a year earlier, helped by consumer spending and investment growth.