LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – In the first three months of 2026, greenhouse gas emissions within the European Union reached 837 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, according to Eurostat. This represents a 0.3% increase from the previous quarter’s 835 million tonnes. During the same period, the EU’s gross domestic product showed no change on a quarterly basis. These figures offer the latest insights into the levels of emissions produced by economic activities and households across the bloc’s 27 member states.
Compared to the first quarter of 2025, emissions declined by 1.2%, while the EU’s GDP grew by 0.8%, Eurostat data revealed. The reported emissions include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, all expressed in CO2-equivalent terms. To facilitate meaningful comparisons between consecutive periods, Eurostat adjusts the quarterly emissions data for seasonal variations. While the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain provided their own emissions estimates, Eurostat compiled data 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 also increased slightly by 0.7%. Household emissions experienced a reduction of 1.3%, while manufacturing, construction, and transportation and storage each saw decreases of 0.6%. Manufacturing continued to be the leading contributor, accounting for 20.8% of total EU emissions, with households following at 20.2%. The supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning contributed another 16.5% to overall emissions.
Emission increases observed in 20 EU member states
During the quarter, greenhouse gas emissions rose in 20 out of the EU’s 27 countries, while seven countries experienced reductions. Estonia reported the largest increase 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 activities. Conversely, Slovenia experienced the steepest decline at 5.0%, followed by Luxembourg at 3.8% and Romania at 2.7%.
Among the 20 nations with rising emissions, 18 also saw economic growth during the quarter. Four of the seven countries that reduced emissions had either stable or higher GDP, namely Spain, Greece, France, and Slovenia. The data provides a detailed country-level perspective, illustrating how emissions and GDP changed across member states in the first quarter of 2026.
Emissions stay below 2015 levels on an annual basis
Eurostat’s separate annual data indicates that total greenhouse gas emissions from the EU economy and households amounted to 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2025. This figure was 17.2% lower than the emissions recorded in 2015. Covering all economic activities and household emissions combined, the latest quarterly data shows that early 2026 emissions remained below the same period in 2025 despite a slight increase from the last quarter of 2025.
Eurostat provides quarterly estimates of greenhouse gases to complement economic indicators like GDP and employment. The data categorizes emissions by economic activity and household sectors, enabling cross-sector and cross-country comparisons within the EU. In the first quarter of 2026, the numbers show a modest quarterly rise in emissions against a backdrop of stable EU GDP. When compared to the same quarter in 2025, the trend reversed, with emissions dropping 1.2% while economic output grew by 0.8%.