Euro Area GDP Annual Growth Rate Confirmed at 0.8% in Q1

The Eurozone economy expanded 0.3% yoy in Q1 2026, well below the previously estimated 0.8% and down from 1.2% in Q4 2025. This marks the weakest expansion since Q4 2023, reflecting pressures from tight energy supplies and higher inflation linked to the Middle East conflict. There was a sharp slowdown in gross fixed capital formation (0.3% vs 3.3% in Q4), alongside a decline in exports (-0.9% vs 2.1%). Household consumption also moderated (1.1% vs 1.3%), while government spending accelerated (2.3% vs 1.5%). Imports increased at a slower pace (1.9% vs 3.8%). At the country level, Ireland saw a sharp contraction (-16.8% vs 2.9% in Q4), while Germany posted the weakest growth among major economies at 0.3% (vs 0.4%). Growth also slowed in France (0.9% vs 1.1%) and Italy (0.8% vs 0.9%), whereas Spain slightly outperformed (2.7% vs 2.6%). On a quarterly basis, Eurozone GDP contracted by 0.2%, marking the first decline since 2022 and the steepest drop since the pandemic-era downturn in 2020.

The Euro Area GDP expanded by 0.8% from the previous year in the first quarter of 2026, the softest pace of expansion since the second quarter of 2024, compared to 1.2% in the previous period and in line with the previous estimate. The slowdown was aligned with the energy crunch from the Middle East following the outbreak of war in the region, which triggered surges in the cost of major energy goods since the start of March. Among the economies for which data is available, the GDP growth slowed in Germany (0.3% vs 0.4% in the previous period), France (1.1% vs 1.3%), Italy (0.7% vs 0.9%), Netherlands (1.2% vs 1.8%), Belgium (0.8% vs 0.9%), Cyprus (3% vs 4.3%), Lithuania (2.5% vs 3.3%) and Austria (0.6% vs 0.7%) and shrank in Ireland (-6.3% vs 3%). On the other hand, GDP growth accelerated in Spain (2.7% vs 2.6%), Estonia (1.3% vs 0.8%), Portugal (2.3% vs 1.9%), Slovakia (0.9% vs 0.8%) and Finland (1.3% vs 0.1%) and steadied for Bulgaria at 2.9%.

The Euro Area GDP expanded by 0.8% from the previous year in the first quarter of 2026, below expectations of a 0.9% growth rate and dropping from the 1.3% last quarter to mark the softest pace of expansion since the second quarter of 2022. The slowdown was aligned with the energy crunch from the Middle East following the outbreak of war in the region, which triggered surges in the cost of major energy goods since the start of March. Lower household consumption was noted among the largest economies of the bloc, with growth slowing for France (1.1% vs 1.3% in 2025Q4), Germany (0.3% vs 0.4%), Italy (0.7% vs 0.9%), and the Netherlands (1.2% vs 1.8%). Spain remained the outperformer in GDP growth, expanding 2.7% from the 2.6% last quarter.