The EU28 seasonally adjusted current account of the balance of payments recorded a surplus of €38.6 billion (1.0% of GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2018, up from a surplus of €36.2 billion (0.9% of GDP) in the third quarter of 2018 and down from a surplus of €57.2 billion (1.5% of GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2017, according to estimates released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.