The eurozone economy expanded by 0.4% in the second quarter of 2026, marking its strongest quarterly performance since the first three months of 2025, according to Eurostat's preliminary estimates.
The result surpassed economists' expectations, which had projected growth of 0.2% for the 21-member currency bloc. On an annual basis, seasonally adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 1.0% across the euro area, while the European Union as a whole recorded year-over-year growth of 1.2%.
Economic performance varied considerably among individual member states during the quarter. Ireland posted the fastest quarterly expansion at 3.9%, followed by Lithuania with growth of 1.7%.
Economists have frequently noted that Ireland's GDP figures tend to be unusually volatile because of the significant impact of multinational corporations that use the country as their European headquarters, often distorting broader economic trends.
At the opposite end of the rankings, Austria and Belgium reported no economic growth during the second quarter.
