The Gross Domestic Product of the European Union rose 0.7% and that of the euro area increased 0.6% in the second quarter of 2026, compared to the previous quarter, according to Eurostat data released on July 7. In year-on-year terms, growth was 1.4% in the EU and 1.2% in the euro area. Portugal recorded a quarter-on-quarter increase of 0.8% and of 2.5% in year-on-year terms, positioning itself above the European average.
Among Member States, Ireland was the country with the highest growth, recording an increase of 10.2% compared to the previous quarter, followed by Slovenia (+1.8%) and Lithuania (+1.7%). Austria was the only Member State with a decline in GDP (-0.1%). Net exports were the main contributor to growth, with +0.9 percentage points in the euro area and +0.8 percentage points in the EU.
In the second quarter of 2026, an estimated 221.4 million people are employed in the European Union, of which 176.4 million in the euro area. Employment increased 0.1% in both areas compared to the previous quarter and 0.5% in the euro area and 0.4% in the EU in year-on-year terms. Portugal, Czech Republic and Malta recorded the highest increases in employment, with +1.0% and +0.9%, respectively, while Finland (-0.8%) and Greece (-0.4%) had the largest declines.
