FRANKFURT  The European economy bounced back with unexpected strength in the second quarter, buoying hopes that a worldwide recession was drawing to a close.

The sharp improvement from the first quarter underscored just how far Europe and indeed the global economy had come since a harrowing free fall in late 2008. Underlying the strong reading were solid performances in France and Germany, each of whose economies grew slightly in the second quarter, according to government data released Thursday.

Though very dependent on government spending, Asia has shown sharp improvement recently. Some leading forecasters expect growth of up to 9 percent in China this year and more than 10 percent next year. Meanwhile, the brutal contraction early this year in the United States has eased, with signs pointing to modest growth in the second half.

The economy of the 27-country European Union shrank 0.3 percent in the three months ended June 30, for an annual rate of roughly 1.2 percent. The 16 countries that use the euro registered a 0.1 percent decline for the second quarter, or an annual rate of roughly 0.4 percent.