The employment rate remained stable between July and September in both the eurozone and the European Union (EU).
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 0.4% in the eurozone and 0.5% in the European Union (EU) as a whole between July and September compared with the previous quarter, in both cases two tenths of a percentage point below the growth recorded in the second quarter of the year, according to revised data published this Friday by Eurostat.
Although the European economy’s growth slowed in the third quarter, it remains higher than in the first quarter of the year, when GDP was virtually stagnant in both areas, and than in the last quarter of 2025, when growth was 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively, despite the ongoing impact of the war in Iran.
Compared with the third quarter of last year, GDP increased by 1.3% in the euro area and by 1.5% across the EU-27.
Spain once again had the fastest economic growth among the bloc’s four largest economies, with a quarterly rate of 0.6%, ahead of Germany (0.2%) and Italy (0%), while France experienced a slight contraction of 0.1% in the third quarter.
However, Ireland was the EU member with the strongest expansion (5.5%), although Eurostat urges «particular attention» when considering this country’s figure because it uses «incomplete» data sources and, in fact, has previously been subject to major revisions that have even prompted changes to the eurozone’s overall rate.
Romania followed, with growth of 2.1%, and further behind came Poland (0.8%), while the Netherlands, Estonia and Bulgaria saw their GDP increase by 0.6%, in line with Spain.
The Czech Republic, Cyprus and Finland recorded quarterly GDP growth of 0.5%, Sweden 0.4% and Belgium 0.3%, while the increase was 0.2% in Germany, Austria and Portugal.
The lowest rates were recorded in Hungary and Slovakia (both 0.1%), while GDP stagnated in Italy (0%) and fell by 0.1% in France and 1.0% in Lithuania, which recorded the largest drop among the countries for which the EU’s statistical office has data.
Meanwhile, the employment rate remained stable between July and September in both the eurozone and the EU, following increases of 0.1% in each of the two previous quarters in both areas.
Compared with the third quarter of 2025, the number of people in employment increased by 0.4% in both the euro area and the EU, according to the first estimate released by Eurostat this Friday.