PARIS / RankWire.AI / – In the second quarter of 2026, OECD nations experienced a modest uptick in economic activity, with gross domestic product increasing by 0.5% compared to the previous quarter. The first quarter had seen a growth rate of 0.4%, based on provisional estimates published on August 24. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicated that 27 out of 30 countries with available data grew during this period, while the remaining three economies saw no change in GDP.
This latest data reveals widespread expansion across the OECD, although growth rates among member countries varied notably. Ireland experienced the fastest quarter-on-quarter increase at 3.9%, with Israel close behind at 3.6%. Conversely, Austria, Belgium, and Chile reported no growth in output during the quarter. The overall regional result also reflects a stronger annual performance, with OECD GDP being 2.3% higher than a year earlier. This contrasts with the 1.7% annual growth recorded in the first quarter.
G7 economies underperformed relative to the broader OECD results. Their combined GDP growth slowed to 0.3% in the second quarter from 0.4% in the first. Germany and Italy each grew by 0.2%, while Japan’s economy expanded by 0.3%. The United Kingdom and the United States both achieved quarterly growth of 0.4%. Canada saw an acceleration to 0.8% after no growth in the previous quarter, and France rebounded from a 0.1% contraction to 0.2% growth.
G7 growth decelerates as Canada picks up speed
The slowdown among five G7 economies was driven by weaker activity in several key components of output. In Japan, private consumption remained flat, inventories decreased, and investment declined. The United Kingdom experienced softer private consumption and reduced government spending. In the United States, slower export growth, inventory reductions, and lower government expenditure contributed to the moderated quarterly expansion. Consequently, G7 growth softened even as the wider OECD area saw a marginally faster pace.
The sharpest contrast appeared in Canada and France. Canada’s economy moved from zero growth in the first quarter to a growth rate of 0.8% in the second. France, having contracted by 0.1% in the first quarter, rebounded with a 0.2% expansion. Meanwhile, Ireland and Israel posted considerably stronger quarterly gains than other OECD nations. The three economies with stagnant GDP were Austria, Belgium, and Chile.
OECD annual growth increases to 2.3%
On an annual basis, the second-quarter data indicate a broader acceleration in economic activity within the OECD. GDP was 2.3% higher than in the same period of 2025, compared to 1.7% year-over-year growth in the first quarter. Among G7 nations, the United States led with a 2.1% annual increase, while Japan registered the smallest at 0.5%. This annual comparison provides a separate measure from the quarter-on-quarter changes in economic output.
The OECD classified the second-quarter figures as provisional, including data from 30 member countries for which second-quarter GDP estimates were available at the time of publication. The organization plans to release its next quarterly GDP update on November 19, 2026. The August figures remain its latest comprehensive measure of second-quarter growth across the available member economies, showing a faster overall expansion despite slower aggregate growth among the G7 countries.
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