Euro Zone economic output returned to growth in the second quarter of 2026, with GDP rising 0.4% quarter-over-quarter, according to data updated on 30 July 2026. The expansion marks a clear turnaround from the first quarter of 2026, when the economy contracted by 0.2% compared with the final quarter of 2025.
The quarter-over-quarter comparison shows that the Euro Zone moved from a mild decline at the start of the year to a modest but positive growth trajectory in the spring. The previous reading reflected the change from the fourth quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026, while the latest figure captures the improvement from the first to the second quarter of 2026.
This shift from negative to positive growth suggests that economic conditions in the currency bloc improved meaningfully over the course of the first half of 2026, with the second quarter offsetting the earlier weakness seen at the start of the year.
