According to a flash estimate published by Eurostat, seasonally adjusted GDP rose by 0.2% in the euro area (EA19) and by 0.3% in the EU28 during the third quarter of 2019. In the second quarter of 2019, GDP had grown by 0.2% in both the euro area and the EU28.

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, seasonally adjusted GDP rose by 1.2% in the euro area and by 1.3% in the EU28 in the third quarter of 2019, after +1.2% and +1.4% respectively in the previous quarter. Economists had expected a 1.1% increase in the euro area.

The number of employed persons increased by 0.1% in both the euro area and the EU28 in the third quarter of 2019, compared with the previous quarter. In the second quarter of 2019, employment had grown by 0.2% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU28. Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, employment increased by 1.0% in the euro area and by 0.9% in the EU28 in the third quarter of 2019, after +1.2% and +1.0% respectively in the second quarter of 2019.