LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – Eurostat announced that the greenhouse gas emissions in the EU increased by 0.3% during the first three months of 2026. Seasonally adjusted data shows emissions hit 837 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, up from 835 million tonnes in the previous quarter. During this same period, the gross domestic product of the European Union remained unchanged on a quarterly basis. These figures offer the most recent insight into the emissions produced by economic activities and households within the 27-member bloc.
Compared to the first quarter of 2025, emissions declined by 1.2%, whereas EU GDP grew by 0.8%, according to Eurostat statistics. The reported emissions include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, all expressed as CO2-equivalent. Eurostat adjusts the quarterly emissions data for seasonal variations to make meaningful comparisons between consecutive periods. While data from the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain are based on their own estimates, Eurostat provided the data 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%. Household emissions saw a decrease of 1.3%, while manufacturing, construction, and transportation and storage each fell by 0.6%. Manufacturing continued to be the top contributor to EU emissions, accounting for 20.8%, followed closely by households at 20.2%. The electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning sector contributed an additional 16.5% of total emissions.
Twenty EU Countries Experience Rising Emissions in the First Quarter
During the quarter, greenhouse gas emissions increased in 20 out of the 27 EU member states and decreased in the remaining seven. Estonia experienced the largest rise at 9.7%, with Finland at 6.4%, and Bulgaria at 4.6%. Eurostat linked these increases mainly to higher emissions from construction and electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply activities. Conversely, Slovenia posted the steepest decline at 5.0%, followed by Luxembourg at 3.8%, and Romania at 2.7% during the same period.
Of the 20 countries where emissions increased, 18 also recorded economic growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, four of the seven nations with reduced emissions reported either stable or higher GDP levels. These countries include Spain, Greece, France, and Slovenia. The data provides a detailed view at the country level, illustrating how emissions and economic output shifted during the first quarter of 2026 across member states.
Despite Quarterly Fluctuations, Annual Emissions Still Under 2015 Levels
Eurostat’s annual data shows that total greenhouse gas emissions from the EU economy and households stood at 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2025. This total marked a 17.2% decrease compared to 2015. The yearly figures encompass all economic activities and household contributions combined. The latest quarterly results indicate that emissions in early 2026 remained below the levels recorded a year earlier, despite a slight increase from late 2025.
Eurostat publishes quarterly estimates of greenhouse gas emissions to supplement other economic indicators like GDP and employment. Their data categorizes emissions by economic sector and households, enabling comparisons across sectors and among EU member states. For the first quarter of 2026, the data shows a modest rise in emissions compared to the previous quarter, with the EU GDP remaining unchanged. When compared to the same period in 2025, emissions decreased by 1.2%, even as economic output increased by 0.8%.