Eurostat said on 7 September 2026 that seasonally adjusted gross domestic product in the euro area rose by 0.6% in the second quarter of 2026, compared with the previous quarter, after remaining unchanged in the first quarter. In the 27-member European Union, GDP increased by 0.7% quarter-on-quarter, up from a 0.1% increase in the first quarter. The United States expanded by 0.4% in the second quarter, down from a 0.5% increase in the first quarter.
On a year-on-year basis, euro-area GDP rose by 1.2% in the second quarter, compared with a 0.6% increase in the first quarter. EU GDP increased by 1.4%, up from 0.9% in the first quarter. US GDP rose by 2.1%, down from 2.7% in the first quarter.
The release revised the euro-area second-quarter growth rate upward from the 0.4% flash estimate published on 14 August 2026. The EU second-quarter growth rate was revised upward from 0.5% to 0.7%. Year-on-year growth for the euro area was revised from 1.0% to 1.2%, while EU year-on-year growth was revised from 1.2% to 1.4%.
Employment remained unchanged at a 0.1% quarter-on-quarter increase for both the euro area and the EU. Euro-area year-on-year employment growth remained at 0.5%, while EU year-on-year employment growth was revised down from 0.5% to 0.4%. The next release is scheduled for 7 December 2026, with database updates also planned for 20 October 2026.
In the euro area, household final consumption expenditure added 0.2 percentage points to second-quarter growth, while government final consumption expenditure had a negligible contribution. Gross fixed capital formation was negligible, changes in inventories subtracted 0.5 percentage points, and exports less imports added 0.9 percentage points. In the EU, household spending also added 0.2 percentage points, gross fixed capital formation added 0.1 percentage points, inventories subtracted 0.5 percentage points, and net exports added 0.8 percentage points.
Among member states, Ireland recorded the largest quarter-on-quarter GDP increase at 10.2%, followed by Slovenia at 1.8% and Lithuania at 1.7%. Austria was the only member state to record a decrease, with GDP falling by 0.1%.
Employment in the EU stood at 221.4 million people in the second quarter, while euro-area employment was 176.4 million. Both areas saw hours worked rise by 0.1% quarter-on-quarter. Year-on-year, hours worked increased by 0.7% in the euro area and 0.8% in the EU.
Portugal recorded the largest quarter-on-quarter employment increase at 1.0%, followed by Czechia and Malta at 0.9% each. Finland posted the largest decline at 0.8%, with Greece down 0.4%.
The figures are based on the European System of Accounts 2010 and cover the 21 euro-area and 27 EU member states, with the United States, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland also referenced in the release.
