France, July 31 -- France's economy contracted by a record 13.8% in the second quarter of 2020 under the impact of the coronavirus lockdown, according to the national statistics institute INSEE.

The seasonally-adjusted quarter-on-quarter drop in gross domestic product (GDP) was better than forecast but worse than the performance of most othereurozone countries.

"GDP's negative developments in first half of 2020 is linked to the shut-down of 'non-essential' activities in the context of the implementation of the lockdown between mid-March and the beginning of May," INSEE said in a statement.

INSEE also updated the figure for the first quarter -- when lockdowns had just begun to be implemented -- to an almost 6% contraction, from the 5.3%...