LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – According to Eurostat, greenhouse gas emissions within the EU economy increased by 0.3% during the first quarter of 2026. Seasonally adjusted data indicate total emissions hit 837 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, a rise from 835 million tonnes in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the gross domestic product of the European Union remained stable, showing no quarter-on-quarter change. These figures offer the latest insight into emissions from economic activity and households across the 27-member bloc.
Compared to the first quarter of 2025, emissions decreased by 1.2%, even as the EU GDP grew by 0.8%, Eurostat’s data reveals. The reported emissions encompass carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, all expressed in CO2-equivalent units. To facilitate comparison between consecutive periods, Eurostat seasonally adjusts the quarterly emissions data. The Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain contributed their own estimates, while Eurostat provided estimates for the remaining European Union member states.
The largest quarterly increase in emissions was seen in electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply, which rose by 4.8%. Emissions from water supply, sewerage, and waste management increased by 0.7%. In contrast, household emissions declined by 1.3%, with manufacturing, construction, and transportation and storage each falling by 0.6%. Manufacturing remained 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 accounted for an additional 16.5% of total emissions.
Rise in Emissions Noted in 20 EU Member States
During the quarter, greenhouse gas emissions increased in 20 of the EU’s 27 member countries and decreased in seven. Estonia experienced the largest rise at 9.7%, with Finland at 6.4% and Bulgaria at 4.6%. Eurostat attributed these increases mainly to higher emissions from construction and electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply. Slovenia, however, posted the steepest decline at 5.0%, followed by Luxembourg at 3.8% and Romania at 2.7% for the same period.
Among the 20 countries with rising emissions, 18 also reported economic growth during the quarter. Conversely, four of the seven nations with reductions in emissions saw either stable or increased GDP. These countries were Spain, Greece, France, and Slovenia. The data provide a detailed country-by-country perspective, illustrating how emissions and economic activity shifted across member states in the first three months of 2026.
Emissions Still Below 2015 Levels on an Annual Basis
Annual data from Eurostat shows that in 2025, the EU economy and households contributed to a total of 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in greenhouse gases. This total represented a 17.2% reduction compared to the levels recorded in 2015. The annual figures aggregate all economic activities and household emissions. The recent quarterly data indicates that, despite a slight increase from late 2025, emissions remained below the same period a year earlier as 2026 began.
Eurostat regularly publishes quarterly estimates of greenhouse gas emissions to complement economic indicators like GDP and employment. These data categorize emissions by sector and household activity, enabling cross-sector and cross-country comparisons within the EU. In the first quarter of 2026, emissions grew modestly compared to the previous quarter, while GDP remained unchanged. When compared to the same quarter in 2025, there was a 1.2% decline in greenhouse gases, despite a 0.8% increase in economic output.