Malta's industrial output grew at the joint highest rate of all EU member states in June, in the latest sign of a fast-growing economy.

Data from Eurostat showed that industrial production - a broad measure of manufacturing production that does not include construction - rose by 1.8 per cent during the month.

Lithuania had an equally high increase while Latvia's grew by 1.5 per cent. 

It bucks an EU trend and comes on a day of global concern for EU economies. 

Eurostat also reported that Gross domestic product (GDP) across the 19-country euro area hardly grew in the second quarter of this year.

Data showed that Germany's GDP contracted thanks to a global slowdown due to the US-China trade war. There are fears Europe's largest economy could fall into recession.

Eurostat said GDP in the euro zone was 0.2 per cent in the second quarter versus the previous quarter, a slowdown from 0.4 percent in the first three months of 2019.

The wider EU also only grew by 0.2 per cent, down from 0.5 per cent in January-March.

GDP data for Malta was not available in the Eurostat report.

However, last month the EU Commission said Malta's economy is expected to grow fastest among EU countries this year and next year.

The economy is projected to grow by 5.3 per cent compared to a 1.2 per cent average in the euro area. Hungary and Poland come immediately after Malta with a growth forecast of 4.4%.