LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – Greenhouse gas emissions from the European Union economy edged higher in the first quarter of 2026. Eurostat put seasonally adjusted emissions at 837 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, up 0.3% from the previous quarter. The fourth-quarter total stood at 835 million tonnes after revision. EU gross domestic product showed no quarterly growth during the same period, offering a direct comparison between economic output and emissions.
The year-on-year picture moved in the opposite direction. Greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.2% compared with the first quarter of 2025, while EU GDP increased 0.8%. The data cover carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases using a common CO2-equivalent measure. The quarterly series tracks emissions from economic activities and households across all 27 member states and adjusts results for seasonal patterns.
Energy-related activity produced the sharpest quarterly increase among the main sectors. Emissions from electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply climbed 4.8%, while water and waste activities rose 0.7%. Household emissions dropped 1.3%. Manufacturing, construction, and transportation and storage each recorded a 0.6% decline. Manufacturing remained the largest listed source, accounting for 20.8% of total emissions, followed by households at 20.2%.
Most EU countries record quarterly increases
Emissions increased in 20 European Union member states during the first quarter and declined in seven. Estonia posted the largest rise at 9.7%, followed by Finland at 6.4% and Bulgaria at 4.6%. Higher emissions from construction and energy supply contributed to those increases. Slovenia recorded the biggest decline at 5.0%, while Luxembourg fell 3.8% and Romania decreased 2.7% from the previous quarter.
Economic output also rose in most countries where emissions increased. Eighteen of the 20 member states with higher greenhouse gas emissions also reported GDP growth during the quarter. Among the seven countries that reduced emissions, Spain, Greece, France and Slovenia recorded either higher or unchanged economic output. The country figures show how emissions and GDP moved together across individual economies during the first three months of 2026.
Annual totals remain below 2015 levels
Separate annual figures show a longer decline in emissions across the bloc. EU economy and household greenhouse gas emissions totaled about 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2025. That level was 17.2% below the total recorded in 2015. The annual data cover emissions from businesses, public activities and households. They provide a broader measure than the quarterly results, which focus on shorter-term changes in economic activity and energy use.
The first-quarter figures therefore show a small rise from late 2025 but a decline from one year earlier. The European Union recorded higher economic output on an annual basis while greenhouse gas emissions moved lower over the same period. Quarterly GDP was unchanged from the previous three months. The latest dataset also shows wide differences between sectors and member states, with energy supply driving the largest sector increase and several countries posting measurable reductions.