LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – According to Eurostat, greenhouse gas emissions within the EU experienced a slight increase of 0.3% during the first quarter of 2026, with seasonally adjusted figures reaching 837 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, up from 835 million tonnes recorded in the previous quarter. During this period, the European Union’s gross domestic product remained stable with no quarter-on-quarter change. These statistics provide the most recent insight into the amount of greenhouse gases produced by economic activities and households across the bloc’s 27 member countries.
When compared to the first quarter of 2025, emissions decreased by 1.2%, even as the EU’s GDP grew by 0.8%, based on Eurostat data. The reported emissions include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, all measured in CO2-equivalent units. To facilitate accurate comparisons between successive periods, Eurostat adjusts the quarterly emissions data to account for seasonal effects. While the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain provided their own emissions estimates, Eurostat compiled data 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%. Emissions from water supply, sewerage, and waste management grew by 0.7%. Conversely, household emissions declined by 1.3%, and sectors such as manufacturing, construction, as well as transportation and storage, each saw a reduction of 0.6%. Manufacturing continues to be the primary contributor to the EU’s total emissions at 20.8%, with households close behind at 20.2%. The sector of electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply accounts for an additional 16.5% of the total greenhouse gases emitted.
Emissions Increase in 20 Member States of the EU
During the quarter, greenhouse gas emissions rose in 20 out of the 27 EU countries, while only seven experienced declines. Estonia led the increase with a 9.7% rise, followed by Finland at 6.4% and Bulgaria at 4.6%. Eurostat attributed these increases largely to higher emissions stemming from construction activities and the electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply sectors. In contrast, Slovenia saw the most significant decrease, dropping by 5.0%, with Luxembourg at 3.8% and Romania at 2.7% also recording notable reductions during this period.
Among the 20 countries that experienced rising greenhouse gas emissions, 18 also reported economic growth during the same quarter. Interestingly, four of the seven nations that reduced emissions—namely Spain, Greece, France, and Slovenia—also experienced either an increase or stability in their GDP. These findings offer a detailed country-level perspective, illustrating how both emissions and economic output shifted across the EU member states in the initial three months of 2026.
EU’s Annual Emissions Still Below 2015 Figures
Separate annual data from Eurostat indicate that in 2025, the combined greenhouse gas emissions from the EU economy and households totaled 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, representing a 17.2% decline from 2015 levels. This comprehensive annual figure includes all economic activities and household emissions. The most recent quarterly data suggest that emissions at the start of 2026 remained below the same period last year, despite a minor uptick from the last quarter of 2025.
Eurostat provides quarterly estimates of greenhouse gases to complement key economic indicators such as GDP and employment. Their classification of emissions by sector and household activity enables comparisons across industries and member states within the EU. For the first quarter of 2026, the figures reveal a modest increase in quarterly emissions, with the EU’s GDP remaining unchanged. When compared to the same quarter in 2025, the trend shifted, and greenhouse gas emissions fell by 1.2%, even as economic output grew by 0.8%.