April 23 (Reuters) - AkzoNobel reported a 19% rise in first-quarter core profit on Tuesday, beating analysts' expectations, citing a continued rebound in gross margins, higher volumes and lower restructuring costs.

The Dutch paints and coatings maker posted adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 363 million euros ($386.67 million), compared to 305 million euros a year ago, and above the 348 million expected by analysts in a company-provided consensus.

The maker of Dulux paints has been recovering from a post-COVID slowdown in the last years, marked by rising raw material costs and destocking activity in its decorative do-it-yourself segment in Europe.

Over the past few years, soaring prices of everything from food to energy have also curbed consumer spending and forced households to tighten their budgets.

AkzoNobel posted 2.66 billion euros in revenue for the period, a 1% decrease from 2.66 billion a year ago, but above the 2.59 million euros expected by analysts.

The company reiterated its full-year outlook, expecting an adjusted EBITDA of between 1.50 billion and 1.65 billion euros. ($1 = 0.9388 euros) (Reporting by Stéphanie Hamel; Editing by Josephine Mason;)