The EU economy’s greenhouse gas emissions in the second quarter of 2025 were estimated at 772 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq, a 0.4% decrease compared with the same quarter of 2024 (775 million tonnes of CO2-eq). At the same time, the EU’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 1.3% in the second quarter of 2025, compared with the same quarter of 2024.
This information comes from data on quarterly estimates of greenhouse gas emissions by economic activity published by Eurostat today. Quarterly estimates of greenhouse gas emissions complement quarterly socio-economic data, such as GDP or employment. This article presents the key findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article on quarterly greenhouse gas emissions.
Source datasets: env_ac_aigg_q and namq_10_gdp
The economic sectors responsible for the largest year-on-year decreases were electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (-2.9%), manufacturing (-0.4%) and transportation and storage (-0.4%). In contrast, households increased their emissions by 1.0%.
Greenhouse gas emissions decreased in 12 EU countries
In the second quarter of 2025, year-on-year increases in greenhouse gas emissions were estimated for 14 EU countries, decreases were estimated for 12 EU countries and Estonia registered stable figures.
The largest reductions in greenhouse gases were estimated for Slovenia (-8.6%), the Netherlands (-5.9%) and Finland (-4.2%).
Out of the 12 EU countries that registered decreases in greenhouse gas emissions, 3 also recorded a decline in their GDP (Finland, Germany and Luxembourg). The other 9 EU countries (Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden) were estimated to have decreased emissions while growing their GDP.
Source datasets: env_ac_aigg_q and namq_10_gdp
For more information
- Statistics Explained article on quarterly greenhouse gas emissions
- Thematic section on climate change
- Database on climate change
- Environmental accounts dashboard
Methodological notes
- Metadata on quarterly greenhouse gas emissions.
- The data presented here are estimates by Eurostat, except for the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain, which provided their own estimates. Eurostat’s methodology differs from the United Nations’ (UN) rules, particularly by attributing international transport emissions to individual countries. Eurostat estimates include these emissions in each country’s total, following the international System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) standard.
- The figures in this news item are non-seasonally adjusted. Progress is measured against the same quarter in the previous year, to avoid the interference of seasonal effects. Seasonally adjusted data have also been produced for the first time and are available in Eurostat’s online database. These adjusted series enable quarter-on-quarter change analyses.
- As parties to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, the EU and the EU countries report annually on their greenhouse gas emissions to the UN. The so-called ‘Kyoto basket’ of greenhouse gases includes carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and fluorinated gases. They are expressed in a common unit: CO2-equivalents. EU countries are required to monitor their emissions of these gases for all source sectors based on internationally agreed obligations and rules. The EU greenhouse gas inventory managed by the European Environment Agency covers emissions from 1990 to 2 years before the current year and is submitted to the UN each spring after quality checks. According to the European Climate Law, the EU’s climate target is to achieve a -55% net reduction by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050.
