Of EU member states, Estonia saw the sharpest quarterly increase in GDP in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Seasonally adjusted GDP rose by 0.2% on quarter in the euro area and by 0.3% on quarter in the EU during the fourth quarter of 2018, according to an estimate published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU. In the US, meanwhile, the quarterly increase was 0.6%.
Among member states for which data is available for the fourth quarter of 2018, Estonia recorded the highest growth of 2.2% compared with the previous quarter, followed by Lithuania, 1.3%, Latvia and Sweden, both 1.2%. Decreases of 0.1% were observed in Greece and Italy, while the GDP in Germany remained stable.
Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, the seasonally adjusted GDP rose by 1.1% in the euro area and by 1.4% in the EU in the fourth quarter of 2018. The seasonally adjusted GDP in the US, by comparison, grew 3.1% on year.
Over the whole year 2018, GDP rose by 1.8% in the euro area and by 1.9% in the EU.