# Poland Overtakes Belgium to Become the EU's Sixth Largest Economy > New Eurostat figures show Poland has pushed past Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, and Austria in nominal GDP, driven by growth running well above the EU average. - Source: Belgium Crown - Canonical URL: https://belgiumcrown.com/article/poland-overtakes-belgium-to-become-the-eu-s-sixth-largest-economy - Author: Belgium Crown Staff - Section: Business - Published: 2026-08-10T07:57:33.571Z - Updated: 2026-08-10T07:57:33.571Z - Tags: Poland, GDP, Eurostat --- Belgium has slipped out of the European Union's top six economies, overtaken by Poland, according to new Eurostat data covering 2025. Poland's economy reached 922.9 billion euros in nominal GDP, equivalent to 4.9 percent of the EU's total output, pushing it past Belgium as well as Sweden, Ireland and Austria. Germany remains the EU's largest economy at 4.47 trillion euros, followed by France at 2.99 trillion, Italy at 2.26 trillion, Spain at 1.69 trillion and the Netherlands at 1.17 trillion, with Poland now rounding out the top six. Poland's rise also cements its position as the dominant economy in Central and Eastern Europe, well ahead of Romania at 380.1 billion euros and the Czech Republic at 347.3 billion euros. The shift reflects years of sustained growth. Poland's real GDP expanded by 3.6 percent in 2025, more than double the EU average of 1.5 percent, driven by continued industrial development, expanding exports, and rising consumption and investment. Despite the milestone, Poland's living standards have not yet caught up with its economic weight. GDP per capita in the country remains below 85 percent of the EU average, underlining the gap between the size of an economy and the wealth of the people living in it. For Belgium, the shift is a reminder that a small, wealthy economy can still be overtaken in aggregate size by a larger country growing quickly, even as Belgian GDP per capita remains well above the EU average. --- Originally published by Belgium Crown. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://belgiumcrown.com/article/poland-overtakes-belgium-to-become-the-eu-s-sixth-largest-economy.