The economy is faltering, but it’s not in recession.

The U.S. economy grew — but just barely — over the first three months of the year, confirming impressions of sluggish growth but leaving open whether the country has actually slipped into recession.

In its latest report on gross domestic product, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported today that the economy grew 0.6 percent over the first quarter of the year — the same rate as in the prior three months and the weakest growth since 2002.

A recession is defined as a decline in a country’s real gross domestic product (GDP), or negative real economic growth, for two or more successive quarters of a year.