LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – According to Eurostat, the greenhouse gas emissions within the EU grew by 0.3% during the first quarter of 2026. Seasonally adjusted figures indicated that emissions reached 837 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, a rise from 835 million tonnes recorded in the previous quarter. During this period, the European Union’s gross domestic product remained unchanged quarter-on-quarter. These statistics serve as the latest indication of the greenhouse gases produced by economic sectors and households across the 27-member bloc.
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 measured in CO2-equivalent units. Eurostat adjusts the quarterly emissions data for seasonal variations to facilitate accurate comparisons between periods. Data for the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain were provided by their respective authorities, whereas Eurostat estimated the emissions for the remaining European Union member states.
The largest quarterly increase in emissions was observed in the electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply sector, which rose by 4.8%. Water supply, sewerage, and waste management emissions increased by 0.7%. Household emissions, on the other hand, decreased by 1.3%, with manufacturing, construction, and transportation and storage each falling by 0.6%. Manufacturing continued to be the main contributor to EU emissions at 20.8%, followed closely by households at 20.2%. Electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply accounted for an additional 16.5% of the total emissions.
Increase in Emissions Detected in 20 EU Member Countries
During the quarter, greenhouse gas emissions went up in 20 of the EU’s 27 member states, while seven saw a decline. Estonia experienced the largest increase at 9.7%, followed by Finland with 6.4% and Bulgaria at 4.6%. Eurostat attributed these rises mainly to increased emissions from construction and the supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning. Conversely, Slovenia reported the sharpest decrease at 5.0%, with Luxembourg at 3.8% and Romania at 2.7% also experiencing reductions during this period.
Of the 20 countries that saw an uptick in greenhouse gas emissions, 18 also experienced economic growth during the quarter. Four of the seven nations that reduced emissions had either higher or stable GDP figures. These countries included Spain, Greece, France, and Slovenia. The data presents a detailed country-by-country analysis, illustrating how emissions and GDP varied across member states in the first three months of 2026, alongside the overall EU trends.
Annual Emissions Still Below 2015 Levels
Eurostat’s separate annual data indicates that in 2025, the combined greenhouse gas emissions from the EU economy and households totaled 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This figure was 17.2% lower than the levels recorded in 2015. The annual data encompasses all economic activities along with household emissions. Despite a slight rise from the last quarter of 2025, the latest quarterly figures demonstrate that emissions remained below the same period in the previous year.
Eurostat regularly releases quarterly estimates of greenhouse gases to complement economic indicators such as GDP and employment figures. These datasets categorize emissions by sector and household activity, enabling comparisons across different economic segments and member states within the European Union. In the first quarter of 2026, the data showed a modest increase in emissions for the quarter, with GDP remaining stable. When compared to the same quarter in 2025, the trend reversed, with emissions dropping 1.2% while economic output increased by 0.8%.