Chile's economy expanded 7.2% in the first quarter of 2022 from a year earlier, central bank data showed on Wednesday, fuelled by growth in the services and retail sectors.

That is below expectations for a 7.9% increase, according to a Reuters poll of analysts and economists.

Gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.8% from the previous three months in seasonally adjusted terms, versus a forecast 0.4% drop.

"A large part of the activities registered positive figures, with the biggest gains in service activities - in particular, personal, transport and business - and in retail," the central bank said.

Mining, agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities all declined, the bank added.

(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo and Steven Grattan in Sao Paulo, Editing by Louise Heavens and John Stonestreet)