The EU economy largely relies on a few countries, primarily the so-called “big four.” As of 2025, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain together account for 61% of the European Union’s GDP.

However, the shares of countries in the EU economy change over time. The combined share of the “big four” has decreased in recent decades: from 67.9% in 2005 to 65.3% in 2015 and 61% in 2025, according to Eurostat.

Which countries provide the largest and smallest shares of GDP? And how have these shares changed in different EU countries over time?
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## Almost a Quarter of EU GDP Comes from Germany

Germany is the largest economy in the European Union by a significant margin. In 2025, it accounted for 24.1% of the EU’s GDP. The total EU GDP in 2025 was €18.8 trillion, of which Germany contributed about €4.5 trillion.

France is the second-largest economy in the union with a share of 15.9%, followed by Italy with 12%.

The fourth-largest economy in the EU, Spain, has a clear share of 9%. Together, the “big four” accounts for 61% of the EU’s GDP.

The Netherlands rounds out the top five economies with a share of 6.2%.

All other EU countries account for less than 5% each when measuring their contribution to the economy by GDP.

Poland is close to this level at 4.9%. The share then decreases to 3.4% for Belgium, the seventh-largest economy in the EU.

Sweden and Ireland each have 3.2%, while GDP in Austria (2.7%), Denmark (2.2%), and Romania (2%) is at least 2%.

15 Countries Produce Only 11.2% of EU GDP

In fifteen EU countries, GDP shares are below 2%, and together they account for only 11.2% of the EU economy.

The Czech Republic (1.8%), Portugal (1.6%), Finland (1.5%), Greece (1.3%), and Hungary (1.2%) are still above the 1% mark.

The lowest GDP shares are recorded in Malta (0.1%), Cyprus (0.2%), Latvia (0.2%), and Estonia (0.2%).
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## Changes Over 20 Years: Italy and France Lost the Most

When comparing GDP shares over the last 20 years, some countries have seen significant changes—both increases and decreases.

Italy and France are the countries with the largest reductions in share from 2005 to 2025. Italy’s share decreased from 15.6% of the EU GDP in 2005 to 12% in 2025, a drop of 3.6 percentage points (p.p.).

In France, the decline was slightly less sharp: from 18.4% to 15.9%, a decrease of 2.5 p.p.

They are followed by Spain and Greece, both of which experienced a decrease of 0.7 p.p. However, for Greece, whose economy is much smaller, this change was more noticeable: its share fell from 2% to 1.3%.

In Germany, the share has only slightly decreased over the last 20 years—by 0.1 p.p.
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## Poland is the Main Beneficiary

Poland demonstrated the largest growth in GDP share within the total EU economy: its figure increased from 2.6% in 2005 to 4.9% in 2025, an increase of 2.3 p.p. Given the size of the Polish economy, this is a significant change.

Ireland and Romania also added more than 1 p.p.—1.4 and 1.2 p.p., respectively.

Although their shares in the EU economy remain small, the Czech Republic increased its share from 1.2% to 1.8%, and Bulgaria from 0.3% to 0.6%.
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## Changes Over 10 Years: Germany’s Share Decreased by 1 p.p.

Significant changes also occurred over the last decade, from 2015 to 2025. France’s share decreased by 2 p.p., Italy’s by 1.5 p.p. Germany’s share in the EU economy also decreased by 1 p.p.—from 25.1% to 24.1%.

Poland showed the greatest growth during this 10-year period—by 1.4 p.p. This indicates a gradual strengthening of the Polish economy and an increase in its share of the total GDP of the European Union.