Well-developed digital infrastructure has helped the Nordic economies weather the pandemic better than most of Europe, Reuters reported.

“Better digital infrastructure means we were quicker at being able to work from home. The infrastructure is there and we are used to using it,” said Robert Bergqvist, chief economist at Swedish bank SEB.

Britain’s economy contracted by around a fifth in the second quarter, Spain registered an 18.5 per cent drop, while the euro zone economy as a whole shrank 11.8pc.

In contrast, Finland’s GDP fell just 4.5pc although Sweden and Norway saw larger hits of 8.3pc and 6.3pc respectively.