Newsroom
Cyprus recorded the strongest retail sales performance in the European Union in May, posting the fastest monthly and annual growth among member states, according to the latest figures released by Eurostat.
Retail trade volume on the island increased by 3.7 per cent compared with April, the highest month-on-month rise in the EU. Compared with May 2025, sales were up 8.4 per cent, also placing Cyprus at the top of the bloc.
The May rebound followed a 0.9 per cent decline in April. Earlier in the year, retail trade fell by 1.2 per cent in January before recovering with increases of 0.7 per cent in February and 0.6 per cent in March. Sales had also risen by 0.6 per cent in December 2025.
Annual growth in Cyprus has remained strong over recent months. Retail trade volume increased by 9.0 per cent in December, 8.9 per cent in January, 5.0 per cent in February, 6.1 per cent in March, 2.7 per cent in April and 8.4 per cent in May.
Across the European Union, seasonally adjusted retail trade volume rose by 0.5 per cent in May from the previous month, while the increase in the euro area was 0.2 per cent. Both regions had recorded declines in April.
Compared with a year earlier, retail sales increased by 1.9 per cent across the EU and 1.6 per cent in the euro area.
After Cyprus, the largest monthly gains were recorded in Luxembourg, where retail trade climbed 3.6 per cent, followed by Poland with an increase of 2.4 per cent. The biggest monthly declines were reported in Estonia, Croatia, Belgium and Lithuania.
On an annual basis, Bulgaria and Luxembourg followed Cyprus with retail sales growth of 7.9 per cent and 7.8 per cent respectively. Romania recorded the sharpest annual decline, followed by Estonia and Belgium.
Eurostat's breakdown by sector showed that, across the EU, sales of food, beverages and tobacco increased by 0.6 per cent in May, while non-food products rose by 0.5 per cent. Sales of automotive fuel at specialised stores fell by 0.4 per cent.
Compared with May last year, EU retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco were 1.9 per cent higher, while non-food products recorded annual growth of 2.8 per cent. Automotive fuel sales declined by 2.9 per cent.
