197 EU regions surpassed 2019 real GDP levels in 2024

Economic activity in 197 of 244 EU regions with available data was higher in 2024 than in 2019, Eurostat reported on October 22. Across the EU, real gross domestic product grew 5.6% over that period, but regional outcomes varied substantially.

GDP fell in 46 regions and was unchanged in one, Spain’s Ciudad de Ceuta. The comparison uses inflation-adjusted economic output and covers 2019–2024, rather than a 2026 growth forecast.

Uneven regional recovery

Ireland’s Eastern and Midland region recorded 38.0% growth, Northern and Western 36.4%, and Southern 26.0%. Almost all EU capital regions expanded; Finland’s Helsinki-Uusimaa was the exception, with a 1.9% decline.

Bulgaria’s Yugoiztochen recorded the largest contraction, at 20.5%. The figures describe regional output and do not by themselves measure how gains or losses were distributed among individual households.

The release draws on the Eurostat regional yearbook 2026 edition and notes that some data may have been updated since publication.

© European Union,2026. Source: Eurostat, ‘Which EU regions’ GDP exceeded their pre-pandemic levels?’. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20261022-2

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Adaptation by KROV. KROV is solely responsible for this adaptation; Eurostat is not responsible for it. In case of discrepancies, the original English text prevails.