Eurostat revises EU Q2 growth upward to 0.7%

Eurostat on Monday published a batch of updated economic data for the European Union, including revised annual GDP figures for 2024 and 2025, a fresh quarterly GDP estimate showing accelerating growth in the second quarter of 2026, and new labour productivity figures pointing to improving output per worker across most member states.

Revised Annual Figures Show Steady Gains

The updated annual dataset, published under the code NAMA_10_GDP, shows the EU's chain-linked volume index (base year 2020) rose from 112.68 in 2024 to 114.202 in 2025, reflecting continued real economic expansion across the bloc. On a per capita basis, the EU27's GDP in current prices increased from 40,110 euros in 2024 to 41,700 euros in 2025, according to the companion NAMA_10_PC dataset. These revised figures represent upward adjustments from earlier estimates published in July, which had placed per capita GDP at 39,990 euros for 2024 and 41,570 euros for 2025.indexbox+2

Separately, Eurostat published revised quarterly estimates showing EU GDP grew 0.7% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the previous quarter, an upward revision from the 0.5% flash estimate released in August. Year-on-year, EU GDP expanded 1.4% in the second quarter, up from 0.9% in the first quarter. Ireland led member states with a 10.2% quarterly surge, followed by Slovenia at 1.8% and Lithuania at 1.7%. Austria was the only country to record a quarterly decline, at -0.1%.europa

Labour Productivity Rises Across Most Member States

Eurostat also reported that EU labour productivity increased by 0.9% based on persons employed in the second quarter of 2026 compared with a year earlier, up from 0.4% growth in the first quarter. Based on hours worked, productivity rose 0.8%, also an acceleration from the prior quarter's 0.4%.europa

Slovenia posted the strongest productivity gains, with a 4.5% increase per person and 5.8% per hour worked, followed by Denmark and the Baltic states. Only Ireland, Romania, and Italy recorded declines in productivity per person, while Romania, Czechia, and Portugal saw drops in output per hour.europa

A Bloc Still Navigating Uneven Recovery

The data paint a picture of an EU economy gaining momentum after a sluggish start to 2026, when GDP had contracted 0.2% in the euro area during the first quarter. Household consumption contributed 0.2 percentage points to quarterly GDP growth in Q2, while net exports provided the largest boost at 0.9 percentage points in the euro area, offsetting a drag from inventory drawdowns. Employment across the EU reached an estimated 221.4 million people in the second quarter, rising 0.1% from the prior quarter.europa+1