LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – According to Eurostat, greenhouse gas emissions within the EU increased by 0.3% during the initial quarter of 2026. Seasonally adjusted data indicate that emissions reached 837 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, an increase from 835 million tonnes in the previous three-month period. Meanwhile, the EU’s gross domestic product experienced no change during this timeframe. These figures represent the latest data measuring greenhouse gases produced by economic activities and households across the 27 member states.
Compared to the same period in 2025, emissions decreased by 1.2%, whereas EU GDP grew by 0.8%, Eurostat data confirms. The reported emissions include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, all expressed in CO2-equivalent units. Eurostat adjusts the quarterly emissions data for seasonal effects to facilitate accurate comparisons between successive periods. Data contributions came from the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain, which supplied their own emissions estimates, while Eurostat calculated estimates for the remaining European Union member states.
The sector with the most notable quarterly increase was electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply, which rose by 4.8%. Emissions from water supply, sewerage, and waste management grew by 0.7%. Conversely, household emissions declined by 1.3%, and manufacturing, construction, along with transportation and storage each fell by 0.6%. Manufacturing remains the primary source of total EU emissions at 20.8%, followed closely by households at 20.2%. The sector of electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply contributes an additional 16.5% to the overall emissions.
Increase in greenhouse gases observed in 20 EU nations
During the quarter, greenhouse gas emissions grew in 20 out of the EU’s 27 member countries, while seven experienced reductions. Estonia recorded the highest rise at 9.7%, with Finland at 6.4% and Bulgaria at 4.6% following. Eurostat attributed these increases predominantly to higher emissions from construction activities and electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply. Conversely, Slovenia experienced the steepest decline at 5.0%, with Luxembourg at 3.8% and Romania at 2.7% during the same period.
Out of the 20 countries with increased emissions, 18 also saw economic growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, four of the seven nations that reduced emissions reported either stable or higher GDP figures. The countries in this group are Spain, Greece, France, and Slovenia. These statistics offer a detailed, country-by-country perspective, illustrating the variation in emissions and economic performance across member states during the first three months of 2026.
Annual emissions remain beneath 2015 benchmarks
Eurostat’s separate annual data show that EU economy and household greenhouse gas emissions totaled 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2025. This figure is 17.2% lower than the total recorded in 2015. The annual measurement encompasses all economic activities and households combined. The latest quarterly data reveal that emissions stayed below their level from the same period in 2025 despite a slight uptick from the last quarter of 2025.
Eurostat regularly releases quarterly estimates of greenhouse gases to supplement economic indicators such as GDP and employment figures. The data categorize emissions by economic sector and household activity, enabling cross-sectoral and cross-national comparisons within the EU. For the first quarter of 2026, the figures show a modest rise in emissions for the quarter, with no change in EU GDP. When compared to the same period in 2025, the trend reversed, with greenhouse gas emissions declining 1.2%, while economic output grew by 0.8%.