The gross domestic product of the eurozone — which comprises the 21 countries that use the euro currency — grew by 0.4% in the second quarter of 2026, according to a preliminary estimate from Eurostat.

That rate exceeded economists' forecast of 0.2% for the bloc and was the largest growth since the first quarter of 2025.

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, seasonally adjusted GDP increased by 1.0% in the euro area and by 1.2% in the European Union as a whole.

How did individual economies perform?

Economic growth varied sharply among member states. Ireland recorded the highest quarterly growth rate at 3.9%, followed by Lithuania at 1.7%.

Economists have long cautioned that Ireland's economic growth numbers can be highly volatile because of the outsized influence of large multinational companies that have chosen the country as a European base.

At the other end of the scale, Austria and Belgium recorded no growth during the quarter.

Major economies post modest gains

The eurozone's largest economies delivered steady, if modest, growth, despite the adverse economic impacts of the US-Iran war.

The bloc's economic heavyweights — Germany, France and Italy — expanded by 0.2%, during the quarter, while Spain, one of the bloc's strongest performers in recent years, posted growth of 0.7%.

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Edited by: Sean Sinico