UK GDP growth compared with EU countries
International Monetary Fund figures put the UK's GDP growth rate at 1.2% in 2025, the 18th-highest of the UK and 27 EU countries with a figure for that year. Ireland had the highest (8.0%) and Germany the lowest (0.2%). The simple average across the 28 was 2.1%, a difference of 0.9 percentage points from the UK's figure.
| Rank | Country | 2025 (%) | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland UK v Ireland | 8.0% | 1.2% |
| 2 | Malta UK v Malta | 4.7% | 4.1% |
| 3 | Cyprus UK v Cyprus | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 4 | Poland UK v Poland | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| 5 | Denmark UK v Denmark | 3.5% | 3.1% |
| 6 | Croatia UK v Croatia | 3.4% | 3.5% |
| 7 | Bulgaria UK v Bulgaria | 3.1% | 3.0% |
| 8 | Lithuania UK v Lithuania | 2.9% | 2.6% |
| 9= | Czechia UK v Czechia | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| 9= | Spain UK v Spain | 2.6% | 2.9% |
| 11= | Greece UK v Greece | 2.1% | 0.0% |
| 11= | Latvia UK v Latvia | 2.1% | 2.6% |
| 13 | Portugal UK v Portugal | 1.9% | 2.0% |
| 14 | Netherlands UK v Netherlands | 1.6% | 2.4% |
| 15 | Slovenia UK v Slovenia | 1.5% | 3.0% |
| 16 | Sweden UK v Sweden | 1.4% | 2.1% |
| 17 | Estonia UK v Estonia | 1.3% | 3.1% |
| 18 | United Kingdom | 1.2% | 2.2% |
| 19 | Belgium UK v Belgium | 1.0% | 1.2% |
| 20 | France UK v France | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| 21= | Austria UK v Austria | 0.8% | 2.1% |
| 21= | Finland UK v Finland | 0.8% | 2.6% |
| 21= | Slovakia UK v Slovakia | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| 24 | Romania UK v Romania | 0.7% | 2.9% |
| 25 | Luxembourg UK v Luxembourg | 0.6% | 5.0% |
| 26= | Hungary UK v Hungary | 0.5% | 2.4% |
| 26= | Italy UK v Italy | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| 28 | Germany UK v Germany | 0.2% | 2.3% |
The UK over ten years
Over 2016 to 2025, the UK's highest value was 8.5% (2021) and its lowest minus 10.0% (2020).
The UK's figure was higher than the average in two of the ten years from 2016 to 2025 and lower in eight.
In 2016 the UK ranked 19th of the 28 countries with a figure; in 2025 it ranked 18th of 28.
Four countries had a lower figure than the UK in 2016 and a higher one in 2025: Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Sweden.
Five countries had a higher figure than the UK in 2016 and a lower one in 2025: Finland, Romania, Luxembourg, Hungary and Germany.
The IMF's projection for the UK in 2026 is 1.3%.
How the IMF measures it
Real GDP growth in the World Economic Outlook compares the volume of a country's output in one calendar year with the year before, after removing price changes. It is based on each country's national accounts (for the UK, the ONS's; for EU members, accounts compiled under the European System of Accounts), with IMF estimates where official data are not yet complete.
IMF figures for recent years can include IMF staff estimates; the IMF revises them in each April and October edition.
Countries compared: The 27 EU member states, with the UK shown alongside. The table uses the latest year for which the UK and at least three-quarters of the countries the IMF covers have a figure, so every value is for the same period.
Why this differs from the UK's own figures
The ONS's first estimate of GDP growth for a quarter comes about six weeks after the quarter ends, and its headline compares one quarter with the previous one. Eurostat's headline growth figures for EU countries are also quarterly. The IMF figure here compares whole calendar years, which smooths quarterly movements, and it may not yet include the latest ONS revisions.
The UK's own latest figure, with its definition and release dates: UK GDP growth (quarterly).
Sources and receipts
Every value on this page was read from these addresses. The SHA-256 is the fingerprint of the file as downloaded, so a later change at the source can be detected.
- https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/api/v1/NGDP_RPCH
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook database (IMF DataMapper) · read 2026-10-14 · SHA-256
5200170b0f19f025… - International Monetary Fund: World Economic Outlook database (IMF DataMapper)The publisher's page for this data, indicator NGDP_RPCH.
Common questions
Where does the UK rank for GDP growth rate compared with EU countries?
Counting from the highest, the UK is 18th of 28 with 1.2% in 2025, on IMF figures.
Which country in this table has the highest GDP growth rate?
Ireland, at 8.0% in 2025 (International Monetary Fund).
Which country in this table has the lowest GDP growth rate?
Germany, at 0.2% in 2025 (International Monetary Fund).
What is the EU average GDP growth rate?
The simple average of the 27 EU countries with figures for 2025 is 2.1%. The UK's figure is 1.2%.
How has the UK's GDP growth rate changed since 2016?
It was 2.2% in 2016 and 1.2% in 2025, according to the IMF.
Is this the same as the UK's official figure?
The ONS's first estimate of GDP growth for a quarter comes about six weeks after the quarter ends, and its headline compares one quarter with the previous one. Eurostat's headline growth figures for EU countries are also quarterly.
More comparisons
- UK inflation compared with EU countries
- UK unemployment compared with EU countries
- UK GDP growth compared with the G7
- UK population density compared with EU countries
Compare any two countries on GDP, inflation, unemployment, debt and life expectancy: country comparison tool.
These pages state each body's figures and the UK's position among them. They give no view on whether a figure is high or low. To report an error, send a correction request.