Economic expansion in the euro zone slowed to 0.4% in the third quarter, statistics agency Eurostat said on Friday. The 21-nation euro area rebounded to 0.6% growth in the second quarter, following stagnation in the first three months of the year. Read more:

Romania and Poland had the EU’s highest household electricity prices in purchasing-power terms in H1 2026, per Eurostat. PPS per 100 kWh: 🇷🇴 Romania: 46.9 🇵🇱 Poland: 41.1 Lowest in: 🇭🇺 Hungary: 14.7 🇲🇹 Malta: 13.8 PPS adjusts for local price levels (it is not the same as the share of income spent). In pure euro terms, Ireland was highest (~€0.39/kWh). Source: Eurostat

🇪🇺 EUROZONE INFLATION JUMPS TO 3.8%, ABOVE FORECASTS Eurozone inflation accelerated to 3.8% YoY in September, above the 3.6% consensus and sharply higher than 3.2% in August, according to Eurostat. Core inflation rose slightly to 2.5% from 2.4%, matching expectations. The hotter headline reading strengthens the case for the ECB to maintain a restrictive policy stance, even as underlying inflation remains considerably lower.

🇵🇹 Cheers to Portugal, officially carrying the EU’s daily drinking load one glass at a time. Eurostat drops the proof: 16% of residents over 16 drink daily, pushing Italy into 2nd place at 7.9% and leaving Belgium and Denmark drinking dregs at 7.5%. The medal ceremony starts at breakfast. Mimosas are compulsory. Writer: Bri

🇪🇸 As of early 2026, Spain is home to approximately 10 million foreign-born residents, roughly 20.3% of its total population. According to Eurostat, the EU’s population grew by about 1.07 million people between January 2024 and January 2025. Spain accounted for the largest share of that growth, adding roughly 700,000 foreign-born residents. Without immigration, Spain’s population would actually be shrinking due to low birth rates and an aging native population. Although Spain represents only about 11% of the EU’s total population, it contributed nearly one-third of the EU’s entire foreign-born population growth in 2025.

Share of live births outside marriage: 🇹🇷 Turkey: 2.8% 🇧🇾 Belarus: 13.0% 🇬🇷 Greece: 13.8% 🇲🇩 Moldova: 19.8% 🇺🇦 Ukraine: 20.5% 🇭🇷 Croatia: 22.8% 🇱🇹 Lithuania: 25.6% 🇵🇱 Poland: 26.4% 🇭🇺 Hungary: 26.7% 🇨🇭 Switzerland: 27.7% 🇷🇸 Serbia: 30.0% 🇩🇪 Germany: 33.1% 🇷🇴 Romania: 33.3% 🇮🇹 Italy: 33.8% 🇱🇻 Latvia: 37.6% 🇮🇪 Ireland: 38.4% 🇸🇰 Slovakia: 41.0% 🇦🇹 Austria: 41.2% 🇪🇸 Spain: 47.6% 🇫🇮 Finland: 47.7% 🇬🇧 UK: 48.2% 🇨🇿 Czechia: 48.5% 🇧🇪 Belgium: 52.4% 🇳🇱 Netherlands: 53.5% 🇪🇪 Estonia: 53.7% 🇩🇰 Denmark: 54.7% 🇸🇪 Sweden: 55.2% 🇸🇮 Slovenia: 57.7% 🇵🇹 Portugal: 57.9% 🇳🇴 Norway: 58.5% 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: 59.6% 🇫🇷 France: 62.2% 🇮🇸 Iceland: 69.4% According to Eurostat (2017-2021)

🇮🇳 India’s population is very close to the combined total of the EU + the Americas (62 countries). India alone has as many people as all of these combined: European Union (27 countries): 🇦🇹 Austria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇨🇾 Cyprus 🇨🇿 Czechia 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇬🇷 Greece 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇱🇻 Latvia 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇲🇹 Malta 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇴 Romania 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇸🇮 Slovenia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden The Americas (35 countries): 🇺🇸 United States 🇨🇦 Canada 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇬🇹 Guatemala 🇧🇿 Belize 🇭🇳 Honduras 🇸🇻 El Salvador 🇳🇮 Nicaragua 🇨🇷 Costa Rica 🇵🇦 Panama 🇨🇺 Cuba 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 🇭🇹 Haiti 🇯🇲 Jamaica 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago 🇧🇸 Bahamas 🇧🇧 Barbados 🇬🇩 Grenada 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia 🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda 🇩🇲 Dominica 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇦🇷 Argentina 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇵🇪 Peru 🇻🇪 Venezuela 🇨🇱 Chile 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇧🇴 Bolivia 🇵🇾 Paraguay 🇺🇾 Uruguay 🇬🇾 Guyana 🇸🇷 Suriname India: 1.47 billion EU + Americas combined: 1.51 billion Source: UN population data, Eurostat

💶 Average annual salary of full-time employees in EU countries (2025) 1. 🇱🇺 Luxembourg: €85,609 2. 🇩🇰 Denmark: €73,500 3. 🇮🇪 Ireland: €64,387 4. 🇧🇪 Belgium: €61,984 5. 🇦🇹 Austria: €60,727 6. 🇩🇪 Germany: €56,360 7. 🇫🇮 Finland: €50,960 8. 🇸🇪 Sweden: €49,622 9. 🇫🇷 France: €44,734 🇪🇺 EU: €41,464 10. 🇸🇮 Slovenia: €37,586 11. 🇪🇸 Spain: €35,125 12. 🇲🇹 Malta: €35,003 13. 🇮🇹 Italy: €34,213 14. 🇱🇹 Lithuania: €32,170 15. 🇨🇾 Cyprus: €29,547 16. 🇪🇪 Estonia: €27,821 17. 🇭🇷 Croatia: €26,933 18. 🇵🇹 Portugal: €26,202 19. 🇨🇿 Czechia: €25,755 20. 🇵🇱 Poland: €23,853 21. 🇱🇻 Latvia: €22,688 22. 🇸🇰 Slovakia: €21,661 23. 🇷🇴 Romania: €20,818 24. 🇭🇺 Hungary: €20,138 25. 🇬🇷 Greece: €18,772 26. 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: €16,201 Gross annual salaries, before tax, adjusted to full-time equivalent. Not adjusted for differences in living costs. No data for the Netherlands. Source: Eurostat

📉 Youth unemployment in EU countries (September 2026) 1. 🇷🇴 Romania: 30.8% 2. 🇪🇪 Estonia: 23.9% 3. 🇫🇮 Finland: 23.7% 4. 🇸🇪 Sweden: 23.2% 5. 🇪🇸 Spain: 22.8% 6. 🇱🇺 Luxembourg: 22.0% 7. 🇫🇷 France: 21.9% 8. 🇮🇹 Italy: 19.9% 9. 🇵🇹 Portugal: 19.1% 10. 🇧🇪 Belgium: 18.0% 11. 🇸🇰 Slovakia: 17.7% 12. 🇬🇷 Greece: 17.3% 13. 🇱🇻 Latvia: 16.5% 14. 🇩🇰 Denmark: 16.2% 15. 🇭🇷 Croatia: 16.1% 🇪🇺 EU: 15.5% 16. 🇭🇺 Hungary: 14.6% 17. 🇸🇮 Slovenia: 14.6% 18. 🇱🇹 Lithuania: 14.0% 19. 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: 13.0% 20. 🇦🇹 Austria: 12.8% 21. 🇮🇪 Ireland: 12.5% 22. 🇨🇾 Cyprus: 11.3% 23. 🇵🇱 Poland: 11.3% 24. 🇲🇹 Malta: 9.6% 25. 🇨🇿 Czechia: 8.9% 26. 🇳🇱 Netherlands: 8.8% 27. 🇩🇪 Germany: 7.5% Unemployed people under 25 as a share of the labour force in that age group (those working or looking for work). Source: Eurostat