The US economy grew less than initially estimated in the first quarter of this year, the government reported Thursday, due to weaker consumer spending.

The world's biggest economy expanded 1.3 percent in the January to March period, the Commerce Department said, below the 1.6 percent figure published last month. This revision was in line with analysts' expectations.

Both growth numbers mark a significant deceleration from the 3.4 percent expansion seen in the final quarter of 2023.

While President Joe Biden and officials maintain that the US economy remains robust, he is struggling to convince voters of his performance on the economic front ahead of November's presidential election.

"The update primarily reflected a downward revision to consumer spending," the Commerce Department said of Thursday's revision.

Overall, GDP growth in the first quarter was supported by consumer spending, business investment and government spending.

But the slowdown from late 2023 to early 2024 came about with decelerations in consumer spending, exports, and government spending, the Commerce Department added.

While growth has cooled, the US economy has been largely resilient in the face of higher interest rates, with unemployment remaining low and the job market stronger than expected.

This, in turn, has helped to support consumption.

But with households drawing down on savings from the Covid-19 pandemic and interest rates still elevated, analysts generally expect spending to pull back.