Scottish economic growth seen persistently below UK growth rate in coming years

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland's economy will grow at a slower rate than that of the United Kingdom overall during the next five years, the Scottish Fiscal Commission forecast on Thursday.

Scottish gross domestic product growth would be 0.7 percent in 2017 and 2018, 0.9 percent in 2018, 0.6 percent in 2020, 0.9 percent in 2021 and 1.1 percent in 2022, the forecasting agency said in figures published to coincide with the Scottish budget.

Britain's GDP is expected to grow 1.5 percent in 2017, 1.4 percent in 2018, 1.3 percent in both 2019 and 2020, before picking back up to 1.5 percent, and finally 1.6 percent in 2022, according to Britain's Office of Budget Responsibility.

(Reporting by Elisabeth O'Leary, editing by David Milliken)