Between 2019, the last pre-COVID-19 year, and 2024, the EU’s GDP grew by 5.6% overall in real terms. However, developments across the 244 regions at level 2 of the nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS 2) with available data varied considerably. A total of 197 regions grew, with higher levels of economic activity in 2024 than in 2019. By contrast, GDP fell in 46 regions and remained unchanged in 1 region, the Spanish region of Ciudad de Ceuta.
The most robust GDP growth was recorded in the Irish capital region of Eastern and Midland, which also had the highest GDP per inhabitant in 2024, as GDP rose 38.0% between 2019 and 2024. The other 2 Irish regions also saw very high increases: Northern and Western up 36.4% (the 2nd highest in the EU) and Southern up 26.0% (6th highest). Outside of Ireland, the highest growth rates were in:
- the Romanian capital region of Bucureşti-Ilfov (up 33.0%);
- Malta (up 32.9%);
- the French outermost region of Mayotte (up 32.1%).
Source dataset: nama_10r_2gvagr
Almost all of the EU’s capital regions recorded an expansion in economic activity during the period under consideration, with Helsinki-Uusimaa in Finland being the only exception; its GDP fell 1.9% in real terms.
The Bulgarian region of Yugoiztochen registered the largest contraction in economic activity between 2019 and 2024, with GDP decreasing by 20.5%. In 4 other regions, there were double-digit contractions:
- Dytiki Makedonia (Greece), with -18.0%;
- Groningen (the Netherlands), with -14.0%;
- And Sud-Muntenia and Sud-Vest Oltenia (both Romania), with -13.5% and -11.3%, respectively.
Would you like to know more about economy statistics in EU regions?
You can explore the economy sections in the Eurostat regional yearbook – 2026 edition and in the interactive publication Regions in Europe.
