The European Union is the second-largest economy in the world.

Omissions

• The claim does not specify that it refers to nominal GDP rather than purchasing power parity (PPP). By PPP, China's economy is larger than the EU's.
• The ranking treats the European Union as a single unified economy, which departs from standard country-level GDP rankings where individual member states are listed separately. In conventional country rankings, China is the second-largest economy.
• The data cited is from IMF projections (World Economic Outlook, April 2026), not final reported GDP figures. The most recent data available as of the session date would be 2025 estimates and 2026 projections.
• The MEP did not cite any source for the claim.

Sources

• PrimaryIMF World Economic Outlook Datamapper (April 2026)GDP, current prices (billions of US dollars): European Union 23.03 thousand; China, People's Republic of 20.85 thousand; United States 32.38 thousand. This places the EU second behind the US and ahead of China by nominal GDP.
• SecondaryInvestopediaThe United States has the world's largest economy by nominal GDP. China ranks second by nominal GDP and first by purchasing power parity (PPP). This conventional country-level ranking places China second, but excludes the EU as a combined entity.