The Catalan and Spanish economies continue to grow at more than twice the rate of the EU.

BarcelonaThe eurozone's gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.1% in the second quarter of the year, a period in which the Spanish economy led the growth among the eurozone countries with an expansion of 0.7%, matched only by Slovenia.

In the European Union (EU) as a whole, GDP growth was 0.2%, with Romania, with a 1.2% increase, and Poland, with 0.8%, outperforming Spain's growth, which was at the same level as Bulgaria's (0.7%), according to the GDP growth estimate.

Figures from the European Union's statistical office confirm that European economic growth slowed between April and June compared to the 0.6% increase in the euro area and 0.5% in the EU-27 recorded in the first quarter of the year. This was also the case year-on-year, as GDP grew by 1.4% and 1.6%, respectively, in both cases one-tenth of a percentage point above the levels achieved in the previous quarter.

Spain at the forefront

As for Spain, its quarterly GDP growth was the highest in the Eurozone after improving by one-tenth compared to the 0.6% expansion of the previous quarter, which contrasts with the worsening in other large economies, particularly Germany and Italy, whose GDP increased in both cases by a previous 0.1% after 0.1%. However, GDP expansion was also lower in the case of the Netherlands, 0.1% compared to the previous 0.3%, while in France the economy grew two-tenths more than between January and March, specifically by 0.3%.

It should also be remembered that according to advance data from Idescat, Catalonia follows the trend of the Spanish average and also grows in the second quarter at a rate well above the Eurozone, with growth of 0.6% in the second quarter of 2025.

Among the other bloc members for which Eurostat has data, the largest increases were in Romania (1.2%) and Poland (0.8%), as well as Bulgaria and Slovenia (with 0.7%, equal to Spain), followed by Portugal (0.6%), Estonia and Cyprus (both); and Hungary (0.4%).

Meanwhile, employment increased by 0.1% in both the eurozone and the EU as a whole between April and June compared to the previous quarter. Between January and March, the number of employed people increased by 0.2% in the eurozone countries and remained stable in the EU27.

Compared to the second quarter of 2024, the employment rate grew by 0.7% in both regions, the same as in the previous three months in the eurozone, and three-tenths of a percentage point higher than the rate recorded in the EU, according to the first estimate published Thursday by Eurostat.