BRUSSELS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Gross domestic product (GDP) in the euro area grew by 1.5 percent in 2025, while the European Union (EU) economy expanded by 1.6 percent, according to data released on Friday by the EU's statistical office Eurostat.
The figures are based on quarterly seasonally and calendar-adjusted data. Growth momentum moderated toward the end of the year, with seasonally adjusted GDP in both the euro area and the EU rising 0.3 percent quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2025.
On a year-on-year basis, GDP expanded by 1.3 percent in the euro area and 1.4 percent in the EU in the fourth quarter.
Among member states with available data for the fourth quarter, Lithuania recorded the strongest quarterly growth at 1.7 percent, followed by Spain and Portugal at 0.8 percent each, while Ireland was the only country to register a contraction, with GDP declining 0.6 percent.
Among the bloc's largest economies, Germany's GDP rose 0.3 percent quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2025, while France expanded 0.2 percent and Italy grew 0.3 percent, Eurostat data showed.
ING Chief Economist Bert Colijn said the eurozone outlook remains clouded by multiple headwinds, including global uncertainty and weakening competitiveness, which could make trade a drag on growth this year. He added that structural challenges are being addressed too slowly, weighing on longer-term prospects, but noted that firmer domestic demand and planned investment could still support a modest pickup in growth in the coming quarters.
Markets widely expect the European Central Bank (ECB) to keep interest rates unchanged at 2 percent at its first monetary policy meeting of 2026, amid an uncertain global backdrop and lingering competitiveness concerns in the euro area. ■