SINGAPORE - Singapore on Thursday declared a severe recession over as data showed its economy grew for the second straight quarter in the 3 months to September.

Official data released Thursday showed gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 14.2% in the July-September period on a quarter-on-quarter annualised basis following a 21.7% surge in the previous quarter.

"Effectively, the recession in Singapore is over," Ravi Menon, the permanent secretary with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), said at a media briefing.

Year-on-year, Singapore's GDP grew 0.6% in the third quarter compared with a 3.3% contraction in the April-June period, the MTI said in its third quarter economic survey.

In its outlook for 2010, the ministry forecasted economic growth of 3% to 5% while maintaining its existing projection of a contraction of 2% to 2.5% this year.

Singapore's trade-reliant economy was the first in Asia to sink into a recession last year as the global downturn hit demand for its exports, especially from the United States.