EU greenhouse gas emissions continue to decline despite economic growth
The latest preliminary estimates from Eurostat show that EU greenhouse gas emissions generated by economic activities and households reached 3.3 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2025. This represents a 17.2% reduction compared with 2015 levels, even as the EU economy expanded by 17.5% over the same period.
Published only six months after the end of the reference year, these early estimates provide a timely picture of emissions linked to economic activity and household consumption. The figures further improve upon the results released by the European Environment Agency in 2025, which referred to 2024 data.
One of the most significant findings is that economic output continued to increase while emissions declined, providing further evidence that Europe is progressively separating economic development from climate-related environmental pressures.
The results are based on the European air emissions accounts, a statistical framework that allocates emissions to the economic sectors responsible for generating them. This methodology allows emissions to be analysed alongside indicators such as productivity, employment and gross value added, offering a clearer assessment of climate efficiency across the economy.
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Which sectors contribute most to EU greenhouse gas emissions?
The decline in emissions has not been evenly distributed across sectors.
The strongest performance was recorded by electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, where emissions fell by 45.3% compared with 2015. Mining and quarrying followed with a 33.3% reduction, while manufacturing cut emissions by 16.0%. Household emissions declined by 14.7%, and service-sector activities recorded an 11.9% decrease.
More limited reductions were observed in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, where emissions dropped by 5.9%, while water supply, waste management and remediation activities achieved a modest 2.6% decline.
Transport and construction remain major barriers to decarbonisation
Among the sectors moving in the opposite direction, transport stands out as one of the most challenging.
According to Eurostat estimates, emissions from transportation and storage increased by 10.9% between 2015 and 2025, making it one of the few major sectors in the European economy to record growth in greenhouse gas emissions. The trend confirms that decarbonising mobility remains one of the most complex aspects of Europe’s energy transition.
The increase is largely explained by rising traffic volumes, particularly in road freight transport. Higher transport demand has offset a significant share of the gains delivered by more efficient vehicles and lower-emission technologies.
A similar conclusion emerges from the European Environment Agency’s report Main trends and drivers of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. According to the agency, road transport emissions were 24% higher in 2024 than in 1990, covering both passenger and freight transport. The continued growth in mobility demand has outpaced improvements in vehicle efficiency and the deployment of cleaner powertrains.
Construction is another sector showing a contrasting trend. Eurostat estimates indicate that emissions from construction activities increased by 11.4% between 2015 and 2025, highlighting the need for stronger measures if the sector is to contribute effectively to European climate objectives.
EU greenhouse gas emissions: differences across Member States
The positive trend extends across most of the European Union.
Between 2015 and 2025, greenhouse gas emissions declined in 23 Member States, while only four countries recorded increases.
The largest reductions were estimated in Estonia (-41.7%), Finland (-30.7%) and Germany (-27.3%).
At the other end of the scale, Malta (+169.4%), Cyprus (+10.7%), Lithuania (+9.5%) and Romania (+5.4%) were the only countries to register higher emissions over the decade.
A common feature across all Member States was continued economic expansion. Every EU country recorded GDP growth between 2015 and 2025, while the Union’s overall economy grew by 17.5%.
This further supports the conclusion that European prosperity is becoming progressively less dependent on rising greenhouse gas emissions.
The energy sector remains the key driver of emissions reductions
The data confirm that energy remains the main contributor to Europe’s emissions cuts.
According to the European Environment Agency, emissions from electricity and heat generation fell by 58% between 1990 and 2024. The decline was driven by the replacement of coal with renewable energy and lower-carbon fuels, improvements in energy efficiency, and rapid growth in wind and solar power generation.
Over the same period, coal consumption in power plants collapsed, while renewable energy sources became an increasingly important component of the European energy mix.
The agency also notes that between 1990 and 2024 the EU economy expanded by more than 70%, while net greenhouse gas emissions fell by 40%.
Today, the European Union accounts for roughly 5% of global emissions, compared with around 14% in 1990.
The road to climate neutrality
Eurostat’s latest estimates suggest that European decarbonisation is advancing across most sectors of the economy, while also identifying the areas where additional effort will be required.
Energy production, manufacturing activities and households are steadily reducing their climate footprint. By contrast, transport, construction and some land-use related activities continue to represent the most significant obstacles to achieving Europe’s climate ambitions.
Maintaining the decoupling of economic growth from emissions will be essential if the European Union is to meet the objectives set out in the European Green Deal and the European Climate Law, both of which require climate neutrality by 2050 while preserving competitiveness, energy security and long-term economic development.