In the third quarter of 2024, the EU economy greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 767 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq), a 0.6% decrease compared with the same quarter of 2023 (772 million tonnes of CO2-eq). The EU’s gross domestic product (GDP) registered a 1.3% increase in the third quarter of 2024, compared with the same quarter of 2023.
This information comes from data on quarterly estimates for 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 reductions between the quarters were electricity and gas supply (-6.7%) and transportation and storage (-0.9%).
In the third quarter of 2024, a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions was estimated in 16 EU countries when compared with the same quarter of 2023.
The largest reductions in greenhouse gases were estimated for Austria (-7.8%), Hungary (-3.3%) and Denmark (-2.8%).
Out of those 16 EU countries, 4 recorded a decline in their GDP (Hungary, Austria, Estonia and Romania). The other 12 EU countries (Malta, Croatia, Spain, Denmark, Czechia, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Finland and Germany) were estimated to have decreased emissions while growing their GDP.
Source datasets: env_ac_aigg_q and namq_10_gdp
Source: Eurostat, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/product?code=ddn-20250214-1
