1. Overall Trend: Decline in the Share of the "Big Four" The economic landscape of the European Union is not static. The combined share of the "Big Four" (Germany, France, Italy, Spain) in the EU economy has been steadily declining: from 67,9% in 2005 to 65,3% in 2015 and to 61% in 2025.
2. Current Distribution (Based on Data for 2025)
- Germany remains the largest economy in the European Union by a wide margin: it accounts for 24,1% of EU GDP (about 4,5 trillion euros out of the bloc's total 18,8 trillion euros in GDP).
- France ranks second with a share of 15,9%.
- Italy follows with a figure of 12%.
- Spain rounds out the top four with a share of 9%.
3. Key Changes Over 20 Years (2005–2025) Over the past two decades, some countries have seen notable shifts:
- Italy showed the largest decline: its share fell from 15,6% to 12% (down 3,6 percentage points).
- France also lost a significant portion: from 18,4% to 15,9% (down 2,5 p.p.).
- Spain and Greece lost 0,7 p.p. each. For Greece, this change was particularly noticeable due to the smaller size of its economy: the share fell from 2% to 1,3%.
- Germany over 20 years reduced its share only slightly — by 0,1 p.p., maintaining relative stability.
4. Poland — the main beneficiary Poland showed the largest increase in its share of the total EU economy. Its indicator rose 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 very significant structural change.
5. Trends of the last decade (2015–2025) Over the last 10 years, the trend has become even more pronounced:
- Germany's share decreased by 1 p.p. (from 25,1% to 24,1%).
- France's share decreased by 2 p.p., and Italy's by 1,5 p.p.
- Poland continued to strengthen its position, showing the largest growth also in this period (+1,4 p.p.), which indicates a gradual strengthening of its economy and an increase in its weight in the EU's total GDP.
Summary
The Euronews Business analysis shows that the EU economy is gradually rebalancing. Traditional Western European giants (especially France and Italy) are losing relative share in the bloc's total GDP, while Central and Eastern European countries such as Poland are confidently increasing their economic weight. At the same time, Germany still maintains absolute leadership.
