LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – According to Eurostat, greenhouse gas emissions within the EU economy increased by 0.3% during the first quarter of 2026. The seasonally adjusted total reached 837 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, slightly higher than the 835 million tonnes recorded in the previous quarter. During the same period, the EU’s gross domestic product showed no quarterly variation. These figures provide the latest insight into the emissions generated by economic activities and households across the 27-member bloc.
Eurostat data revealed a 1.2% decrease in emissions compared to the first quarter of 2025, while EU GDP grew by 0.8%. The reported emissions include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, all expressed in CO2-equivalent units. To facilitate comparison across periods, Eurostat adjusts the quarterly emissions data for seasonal effects. Data contributions came from the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain, which provided their own estimates, while Eurostat compiled information for the remaining European Union member states.
The largest quarterly increase in emissions was observed in electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply, which rose by 4.8%. Emissions from water supply, sewerage, and waste management grew by 0.7%. In contrast, household emissions declined by 1.3%, with manufacturing, construction, and transportation and storage each decreasing by 0.6%. Manufacturing continued to be the primary contributor to total EU emissions at 20.8%, followed closely by households at 20.2%. The sector of electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply represented an additional 16.5% of the overall emissions.
Emission increases observed in 20 EU member states
During the quarter, greenhouse gas emissions rose in 20 of the EU’s 27 member countries and fell in the remaining seven. Estonia experienced the most significant increase at 9.7%, with Finland at 6.4% and Bulgaria at 4.6%. Eurostat attributed these rises mainly to higher emissions from construction and the supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning. Meanwhile, Slovenia saw the steepest decline at 5.0%, followed by Luxembourg at 3.8% and Romania at 2.7% during this period.
Of the 20 nations with increased emissions, 18 also saw GDP growth during the quarter. Four out of the seven countries that reduced emissions reported either higher or stable economic output, specifically Spain, Greece, France, and Slovenia. The data provide a detailed country-by-country comparison, illustrating how emissions and GDP figures changed across member states in the first three months of 2026.
Annual emissions remain below levels seen in 2015
Separate annual data from Eurostat indicated that in 2025, EU economy and household greenhouse gas emissions totaled 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This figure was 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, despite a small rise from the last quarter of 2025, emissions stayed below the same period in the previous year as we entered 2026.
Eurostat regularly releases quarterly estimates of greenhouse gases to complement economic indicators such as GDP and employment. These data classify emissions by economic sector and household activity, enabling comparisons across regions and countries within the EU. For the first quarter of 2026, emissions showed a slight quarterly increase even as EU GDP remained unchanged. When compared to the same quarter in 2025, the overall trend was a 1.2% reduction in greenhouse gases, despite a 0.8% rise in economic output.