Seasonally-adjusted services production fell by 0.3% in both the European Union and the euro area in February 2026, compared to the previous month, according to new estimates published by Eurostat.
This is a reversal of the previous month (January 2026), when services production increased by 1.0% in the euro area and 0.4% across the EU.
Despite the monthly decline, services production remained higher than a year earlier, rising by 1.4% in the euro area and 1.3% in the EU, on an annual basis.
Sector by sector
Among the sectors measured, information and communication recorded the largest monthly decline, falling by 2.0% in both the euro area and the EU, Eurostat noted. Accommodation and food services also fell by 0.6% across both regions. Real estate activities declined by 0.4% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU.
Professional, scientific and technical activities provided one of the few areas of growth – the sector rose by 0.5% in the euro area and by 1.0% in the EU. Transportation and storage increased by 0.2% in the euro area but declined by 0.3% across the wider EU.
At country level, Estonia recorded the sharpest monthly decline in services production, down 16.3%, followed by Luxembourg (-9.5%) and Denmark (-3.0%). The largest monthly increases were reported in Bulgaria, where services production rose by 4.6%, followed by Hungary (+3.7%) and Poland (+1.4%), Eurostat noted.
Annual comparison
Compared with February 2025, information and communication remained one of the strongest-performing sectors, increasing by 4.0% in the euro area and 3.2% in the EU. Professional, scientific and technical activities also posted annual growth; of 2.3% in the euro area and 3.0% in the EU.
Accommodation and food services was the only sector to record annual declines in both regions, falling by 0.8% in the euro area and 0.7% in the EU.
Hungary recorded the strongest annual increase in services production among EU member states at 7.6%, followed by Bulgaria and Slovenia (both +6.3%) and Poland (5.8%). Romania recorded the largest annual decline, at 5.3%, followed by Denmark (-2.8%) and Lithuania (-2.1%). Read more here.
