Regions in Europe – 2023 edition

During the course of 2021, the lowest crude rates of total population change were recorded across Greek and Croatian regions. Voreio Aigaio – an island region in the Aegean Sea – had the most rapid decline. Its population fell 159.9 per 1 000 inhabitants, almost exclusively as a result of negative net migration (in other words, more people leaving the region than arriving). This pattern was repeated in most EU regions characterised by a rapid overall fall in population. The situation in 2021 was in sharp contrast to that observed prior to the pandemic (2016–2019) when Voreio Aigaio had been among the EU regions with the highest rates of positive net migration (linked to an influx of migrants).

In 2021, the lowest crude rates of natural population change (in other words, regions that had more deaths than births) were observed principally across Bulgaria – Severozapaden had the lowest rate in the EU. There were also relatively low rates concentrated in several regions of eastern Germany, north-west Spain and southern Romania. Many, but not all, of these regions were characterised as rural and remote regions which exhibit declining population numbers, low fertility rates and a relatively elderly population structure.

During the course of 2021, the highest crude rate of total population change was recorded in Bratislavský kraj (the Slovak capital region): its population increased 66.7 per 1 000 inhabitants, almost entirely due to net inward migration (from other Slovak regions and from outside of Slovakia).

Many of the regions with the fastest population growth in 2021 were capital regions or regions within close proximity of their capitals, for example, Bratislavský kraj (Slovakia), Attiki (Greece), Luxembourg, Pest (Hungary), Cyprus, Eastern and Midland (Ireland), Praha and Střední Čechy (Czechia). There was also relatively rapid population growth in Nord-Est (Romania), Flevoland (the Netherlands), Northern and Western (Ireland) and Vidurio ir vakarų Lietuvos regionas (Lithuania).

In each of these regions, population growth was principally driven by net inward migration; the Irish capital region was the only exception, with a higher crude rate of natural change (while net inward migration was also positive). There was also rapid population growth in 2 of the French outermost regions, Guyane and Mayotte. They recorded, by far, the highest crude rates of natural change across the EU, at 23.1 and 32.2 per 1 000 inhabitants, respectively.

There were 9 regions in the EU with a median age of at least 50.0 years in 2022. They were the eastern German regions of Chemnitz, Sachsen-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thüringen and Brandenburg, the Italian regions of Liguria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Sardegna, and the Spanish region of Principado de Asturias.

The French outermost regions of Mayotte and Guyane had the youngest populations in the EU, with median ages of 17.7 and 26.2 years. The next lowest median age was in the Spanish autonomous region of Ciudad de Melilla (34.8 years), followed by the capital regions of Belgium, Ireland and France, which were characterised by a relatively young population structure.

According to population projections, the highest median ages in 2050 are projected for the Spanish regions of Principado de Asturias (59.1 years) and Castilla y León (57.9 years), as well as the island region of Sardegna in Italy (also 57.9 years). By contrast, the lowest median ages are projected for several outermost regions of the EU (as was already the case in 2022): Mayotte (21.1 years), Guyane (30.6 years), and Ciudad de Melilla (36.6 years).

Looking at developments between 2022 and 2050, the median age is projected to remain unchanged or to increase in 95.0% of EU regions (227 out of 239 regions for which data are available). The only exceptions are located in Germany (6 regions) and France (3 regions), as well as single regions from each of Greece, Finland and Sweden.

Some of the highest increases in median ages are expected across Poland, with a gain of 9.6–10.5 years projected in 8 different Polish regions. However, the largest increase is projected for Bucureşti-Ilfov (the capital region of Romania): its median age rising from 41.6 years in 2022 to 53.8 years by 2050.

In 2021, the highest levels of life expectancy at birth for females were recorded in Spain, peaking at 88.2 years in the capital region of Comunidad de Madrid; high levels of female life expectancy – at least 87.0 years – were also recorded in Comunidad Foral de Navarra, Castilla y León, Cantabria, Galicia and País Vasco. More generally, newborn girls in Spanish, French and Italian regions were expected to live longest.

For boys, the highest life expectancy at birth in 2021 was recorded in Åland (Finland), at 82.8 years. Relatively high values – at least 81.9 years – were also recorded in the Spanish regions of Comunidad de Madrid and Comunidad Foral de Navarra, and in the Swedish regions of Stockholm and Småland med öarna. More generally, newborn boys in Spanish, Italian and Swedish regions were expected to live longest.

The life expectancy of a newborn child in the EU increased 1.5 years between 2010 and 2019. However, this gradual increase in life expectancy ended abruptly in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It had an immediate impact, as life expectancy fell between 2019 and 2020 from 81.3 years to 80.4 years, thereby losing most of the gains that had been achieved during the previous decade. Life expectancy at birth continued to fall in 2021, albeit at a slower pace, down to 80.1 years.

Between 2020 and 2021, the life expectancy of a newborn child fell in approximately two thirds of EU regions: 65% of EU regions recorded a decline in life expectancy, 4% no change, and 31% an increase. The largest declines were observed in the French outermost regions of Martinique and Guadeloupe, several regions across Bulgaria and Slovakia – both of which were severely impacted by the 2nd and subsequent waves of the pandemic in 2021 – as well as Latvia.

Many of the regions characterised by rising life expectancy between 2020 and 2021 had been severely impacted by the 1st wave of the pandemic (in 2020); as such, their latest figures reflected something of a rebound. Some of the largest increases in life expectancy were recorded across regions of Belgium, Spain, France, northern Italy, Portugal and Sweden. The highest increase was in Comunidad de Madrid (up 3.1 years).

According to projections, life expectancy at birth for females in the EU is projected to reach 88.4 years by 2050, and that for males to reach 84.0 years. Average life expectancy for males and females together is projected to increase in every region of the EU between 2021 and 2050.

At one end of the range, the projected increases will be at least 12.0 additional years of life for someone born in Mayotte (France) or Severozapaden (Bulgaria). By contrast, life expectancy in the Spanish regions of Comunidad Foral de Navarra and Comunidad de Madrid, or the Swedish capital region of Stockholm is projected to increase by 3.2 years, with a smaller increase projected for Åland (Finland; up 2.5 years).

Policymakers can use this information on the ageing of the EU population to determine, for example, the sustainability of pension schemes and social security systems, or the future demand for services such as healthcare.

The latest projections suggest that the highest life expectancies in 2050 will be concentrated across Spain, France and Italy. Comunidad de Madrid and Île-de-France are projected to have the highest life expectancies, at 88.6 years and 88.2 years respectively, followed by Corse (France) and Provincia Autonoma di Trento (Italy), with a life expectancy of 88.1 years.

In 2020, the standardised death rate for diseases of the circulatory system was 347.6 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in the EU. Diseases of the circulatory system are related, among other factors, to high blood pressure, heart disease and diseases of the veins and arteries; heart attacks and strokes are among the most common causes of death.

Severozapaden (Bulgaria) had the highest death rate among EU regions for diseases of the circulatory system (1 210.4 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants). This figure was 8.5 times as high as in the French capital region of Île-de-France (141.6 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants), where the lowest rate was observed.

Medical advances, screening and check-ups, as well as changes in lifestyle are among the principal reasons why standardised death rates for many cancers have fallen in recent years. The most common causes of death from cancer include lung cancer and colorectal cancer, followed by breast cancer (which mainly occurs in women) and prostate cancer (which exclusively occurs in men).

In 2020, men were more likely to die from cancer than women: the latest rates across the EU were 319.0 deaths per 100 000 male inhabitants and 188.6 deaths per 100 000 female inhabitants, and this pattern was repeated for all regions. The EU’s standardised death rate for cancer (both sexes) was 242.8 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. The highest death rate was recorded in Dél-Dunántúl (Hungary; 340.3 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants), which was almost twice as high as in the region with the lowest rate, Guyane (France;177.3 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants).

In 2020, the EU’s standardised death rate for diseases of the respiratory system (which include, asthma, flu and pneumonia) was 71.6 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants.

Men were almost twice as likely as women to die from these diseases: 101.8 deaths per 100 000 male inhabitants and 52.2 deaths per 100 000 female inhabitants. Among EU regions, the highest death rate for diseases of the respiratory system was recorded in Região Autónoma da Madeira (Portugal; 225.1 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants). This was almost 9 times as high as the lowest death rate, which was observed in Etelä-Suomi (Finland; 25.8 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants).

Diseases of the respiratory system were often concentrated in regions with high levels of pollution, regions characterised by volcanic activity, or regions specialising in mining activities. Behind Região Autónoma da Madeira, some of the highest regional death rates were recorded across Romania, and in Região Autónoma dos Açores (Portugal), Dytiki Elláda (Greece) and Prov. Liège (Belgium).

The first cases of COVID-19 in the EU were recorded in Italy. Contrary to a typical year – when mortality in the EU normally starts to decline during spring – the average number of monthly deaths started to rise at a rapid pace from March 2020 onwards. During the initial stages of the pandemic, the virus was largely concentrated in a small number of predominantly urban regions, often characterised by relatively high numbers of international travellers.

In 2020, the highest standardised death rate for COVID-19 was recorded in the Spanish capital region of Comunidad de Madrid (277.5 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants). Very high rates – upwards of 200.0 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants – were also recorded in:

• 4 regions of Belgium – Région de Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Prov. Liège, Prov. Hainaut and Prov. Namur;
• the northern Italian region of Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste;
• the central Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha.

In 2022, close to half (45.2%) of the EU’s working age population had a medium (at most upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary) level of formal education. In approximately two fifths of EU regions (95 out of the 241 regions for which data are available; no information for Mayotte), at least half of the working age population had a medium level of educational attainment.

There were 5 regions across the EU where more than 70.0% of the working age population had a medium level of educational attainment: all 5 were located in Czechia, with a peak of 73.3% observed in Severozápad. A majority of the working age population had a medium level of educational attainment across most regions of the Baltic and eastern EU countries, as well as many regions of Germany and Austria.

2023 is the European Year of Skills. Skilled workers generally have more and better job opportunities and possibilities to engage more fully in society, while a highly-skilled workforce may contribute to sustainable growth, innovation and competitiveness.

Tertiary education builds on secondary education, providing learning in specialised fields of study. It comprises programmes that lead to the award of, among other qualifications, a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, which are commonly understood as academic education. However, it also includes advanced vocational or professional education.

Approximately one third (34.3%) of the working age population in the EU had a tertiary (or high) level of formal education in 2022. There were 18 regions across the EU where at least half of all working age people had a tertiary level of educational attainment: this group included the capital regions of Lithuania, Sweden, Poland, Ireland, Hungary, France, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Czechia, Finland and Spain. Prov. Brabant wallon and Prov. Vlaams-Brabant (both Belgium), País Vasco (Spain), Utrecht (the Netherlands) and Southern (Ireland) were the only other regions in the EU where at least half of the working age population had a high level of education.

In 2022, the EU’s employment rate for recent graduates (aged 20–34 years) with an upper secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary or tertiary education was 82.4%. There were 13 regions (out of a total of 217 for which data are available), where the employment rate of recent graduates was at least 95.0%:

• 3 of these were located in the Netherlands, with a peak of 100.0% in Flevoland;
• more than half (7 regions) were located in Germany – where the highest rate was recorded in Niederbayern (98.6%);
• 2 were located in eastern France (Alsace and Champagne-Ardenne); and
• 1 was in Slovakia, the capital region of Bratislavský kraj.

The largest spread (in relative terms) of employment rates for recent graduates was observed for Italy. The southern region of Sicilia (42.0%) had the lowest employment rate in the EU, while the northernmost autonomous region of Bolzano/Bozen had a rate that was approximately twice as high (85.4%) and above the EU average. There was also a relatively large spread of employment rates for recent graduates across French and Spanish regions.

The male employment rate for the EU was 80.0% in 2022, some 10.7 percentage points higher than the corresponding rate for women (69.3%). This pattern – a higher male than female employment rate – was repeated in all but 2 EU regions.

The only exceptions were:

• Etelä-Suomi (southern Finland), where the female employment rate (77.6%) was 0.2 percentage points higher than the corresponding male rate;
• the Lithuanian capital region of Sostinės regionas, where the female employment rate (85.0%) was 1.2 points higher than the corresponding male rate.

In 20 regions across the EU the employment gender gap (with a higher rate for men) was greater than 20.0 percentage points in 2022. These regions were all located in Greece, (southern) Italy and Romania. The largest gaps were recorded in Sterea Elláda (central Greece) and Puglia (southern Italy). In the former, the male employment rate was 81.8%, some 31.4 percentage points higher than the female rate (50.4%), while the male employment rate in Puglia was 68.9%, some 30.7 points higher than the female rate (38.2%).

Some of the smallest employment gender gaps were recorded in regions across the Nordic Member States. In addition, there were at least 2 regions in each of Bulgaria, Germany, France and Portugal where the employment gender gap was less than 5.0 percentage points in 2022.

In 2022, the highest regional unemployment rates were recorded in the 2 autonomous Spanish regions of Ciudad de Ceuta (28.4%) and Ciudad de Melilla (21.6%). The next highest rate was recorded in another Spanish region, namely, Andalucía (19.0%).

By contrast, no more than 1 in 50 persons in the labour force (in other words, at most 2.0%) were unemployed across 9 different EU regions. Almost all of these were concentrated in eastern EU countries:

• 4 regions in Czechia (Jihozápad, Jihovýchod, Praha and Střední Čechy);
• 3 regions in Poland (Wielkopolskie, Pomorskie and Warszawski stołeczny);
• Közép-Dunántúl in Hungary; and
• Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen in Belgium.

The EU youth unemployment rate (for people aged 15–29) stood at 11.3 % in 2022. This was almost twice as high as the overall unemployment rate (for people aged 15–74). The youth unemployment rate was higher than the overall unemployment rate in all EU regions.

In Vest, Centru (both Romania), Basilicata (Italy) and Dolnośląskie (Poland), the youth unemployment rate was at least 3.0 times as high as the overall unemployment rate. By contrast, the smallest relative differences were recorded in Ionia Nisia, Notio Aigaio (both Greece) and Severoiztochen (Bulgaria) – their youth unemployment rates were no more than 1.2 times higher than their overall unemployment rates.

In 2022, the highest youth unemployment rates were mostly recorded in those regions that showed the highest overall unemployment rates. There were 12 regions that had youth unemployment rates of at least 30.0%:

• 4 of these were in Greece, with the highest rate in Thessalia (39.8%);
• 3 were outermost regions in France, with the highest rate in Guadeloupe (33.9%);
• 3 were southern regions of Italy, with the highest rates in Campania and Sicilia (both 34.3%);
• the last 2 were the autonomous Spanish regions, with the highest rate in Ciudad de Ceuta (42.4%).

In 2022, there were 5.1 million people in the EU without a job, who were actively seeking work for at least 12 months: the long-term unemployment rate was 2.4%.

In 2022, the long-term unemployment rate was in double-digits across 9 EU regions – 4 regions of Greece, 2 autonomous regions of Spain, 2 regions in southern Italy and 1 outermost region of France. Leaving aside the outermost regions of Spain and France, the highest long-term unemployment rates in the EU were observed in Campania (Italy; 11.9%), Dytiki Makedonia (Greece; 11.5%) and Sicilia (Italy; 11.5%).

In approximately one fifth (38 out of the 192) of the EU regions for which data are available in 2022, the long-term unemployment rate was less than 1.0%. There were several regions in each of Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands and Poland that were characterised by a very low share of their labour force facing long-term unemployment. The lowest long-term unemployment rate (0.2%) was recorded in the Czech region of Střední Čechy (which surrounds the Czech capital region).

Back in 2016, daily internet use across the EU stood at 68.5%. This share increased at a steady pace, rising 15.5 percentage points to reach 84.0% by 2022. The share of people using the internet on a daily basis tended to increase more rapidly in those regions where internet use was initially low. This was particularly the case in Bulgaria and Romania. There were however 4 rural regions where – despite recording rates below the EU average in 2016 – the share of people using internet daily rose at a relatively slow pace over the last 6 years: Franche-Comté, Auvergne, Champagne-Ardenne (all in France) and Burgenland (Austria).

On the other hand, it was already common in 2016 for a relatively high share of people to be using the internet on a daily basis in many northern and western regions of the EU. As such, in many of these, daily internet use remained relatively unchanged between 2016 and 2022. There were 3 regions where daily internet use fell during the period under consideration: Bremen (Germany), Luxembourg, and Utrecht (the Netherlands).

In 2022, some 68.0% of the EU population aged 16–74 years bought/ordered goods or services over the internet during the 12 months prior to the survey. This share reached a peak of 91.3% in the Danish capital region of Hovedstaden. More generally, there was a very high propensity to use e-commerce across every region in Denmark, while this was also the case for every region of the Netherlands and half of the regions in Sweden. The capital regions of Praha (Czechia) and Eastern and Midland (Ireland) were the only other regions where at least 85.0% of people used e-commerce during the 12 months prior to the survey.

At the lower end of the range, there were 3 regions where less than one third of the population bought/ordered goods or services over the internet in 2022. 2 of these were located in Bulgaria – Severen tsentralen (29.9%) and Yugoiztochen (31.9%) – while the 3rd was Calabria (also 31.9%) in southern Italy.

In 2022, some 59.7% of the EU population aged 16–74 years used the internet for banking during the 3 months prior to the survey. At least 90.0% of people made use of internet banking in every region of Denmark and Finland (no data available for Åland), as well as 9 out of 12 regions in the Netherlands. The shares in the other 3 Dutch regions were just under 90.0%.

The Finnish capital region of Helsinki-Uusimaa had the highest share of people making use of internet banking, at 95.9%. By contrast, every region of Bulgaria and Romania (except for the capital regions of Yugozapaden and Bucureşti-Ilfov) reported less than one quarter of all people made use of internet banking.

One of the most common activities on the internet is participation in social networks, for example, using Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or X (former Twitter). The propensity to make use of such services is closely linked to age, with a much higher proportion of younger people using social networks on a regular basis.

In 2022, close to three fifths (58.2%) of the EU population aged 16–74 years participated in social networks during the 3 months prior to the latest survey. This share peaked at 86.3% in the Danish capital region of Hovedstaden, while there were 7 other regions that recorded shares of more than 80.0%:

• the 4 remaining regions of Denmark;
• the capital regions of Helsinki-Uusimaa (Finland) and Budapest (Hungary);
• Drenthe (the Netherlands).

Despite relatively low levels of internet access, many eastern regions of the EU recorded quite high shares of people participating in social networks.

Subject to data availability, less than half of the population participated in social networks in 2022 across every region of France (no data available for Mayotte). This pattern was repeated for three quarters of the 16 NUTS level 1 regions of Germany, as well as in 4 southern and island regions of Italy.

In relative terms, based on GDP per inhabitant (which is the level of GDP divided by the resident population), the picture was different, as it takes out the influence of the varying size of regions. In order to compensate for price level differences across countries, GDP per inhabitant has been denominated in an artificial common currency unit called a purchasing power standard (PPS).

These figures, in contrast to figures based on euro values, tend to have less variation, as regions/countries with very high GDP per inhabitant in euro terms also tend to have relatively high price levels.

In 2021, the regions with the highest levels of GDP per inhabitant were: Luxembourg (87 100 PPS per inhabitant), followed by 2 regions in Ireland – Southern (84 500 PPS per inhabitant) and the capital region of Eastern and Midland (77 400 PPS per inhabitant). There were 12 other regions across the EU where GDP per inhabitant was in excess of 50 000 PPS: the capital regions of Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland and Hungary, as well as Hamburg and Oberbayern in Germany, and Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing remain important activities in rural regions, especially within southern and eastern EU countries.

There were 9 regions in the EU where agriculture, forestry and fishing accounted for a double-digit share of total gross value added in 2020 – more than half of which were located in Greece: Thessalia (13.0%; the highest share in the EU), Dytiki Elláda, Peloponnisos, Dytiki Makedonia and Ipeiros.

The other 4 regions were Alentejo in Portugal, Mazowiecki regionalny in Poland, Panonska Hrvatska in Croatia and Castilla-La Mancha in Spain. Many of the regions with high shares of agriculture, forestry and fishing activity were rural landscapes characterised by expansive plains. Some, but not all, were coastal.

The Irish region of Southern was the only region in the EU to report that a majority of its total value added (64.2% in 2020) was generated by industry and construction. This region has a high number of foreign-owned multinationals within its industrial economy, active in areas such as information and communications technology, pharmaceuticals and medical technologies.

There were 2 other regions across the EU where industry and construction accounted for at least 45.0% of total value added in 2020, both located in Hungary: Közép-Dunántúl (46.2%) and Nyugat-Dunántúl (45.5%). Both regions – along with several others in eastern EU countries – were characterised by relatively high levels of foreign direct investment in activities such as the manufacture of motor vehicles or other types of engineering.

In the Belgian capital region – Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest – 93.2% of total value added in 2020 was from services.

The services sector accounted for at least 85.0% of total value added in 8 more capital regions across the EU: Île-de-France in France, Noord-Holland in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Attiki in Greece, Berlin in Germany, Área Metropolitana de Lisboa in Portugal, Budapest in Hungary and Wien in Austria.

Services also accounted for a high proportion of economic activity (at least 85.0% of total value added) in 10 other regions across the EU. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and its associated restrictions and measures, several of these regions were popular tourist destinations: Ionia Nisia and Notio Aigaio in Greece, Região Autónoma da Madeira in Portugal and 3 of the outermost regions of France.

This group also included Utrecht in the Netherlands and Prov. Vlaams-Brabant in Belgium, as well as the 2 autonomous Spanish regions.

• The skewed nature of R&D activity was such that only 45 out of 194 regions for which data are available had a ratio of R&D intensity that was higher than the EU average of 2.30%. 

• In 2020 (the latest reference year for most regional data), the highest ratios of R&D intensity were recorded in 2 German regions characterised by clusters of innovative transport equipment manufacturers, engineering and component suppliers and/or internet-related activities: Braunschweig (7.61%; 2019 data) and Stuttgart (7.40%; 2019 data). 

• The next highest ratios (also 2019 data) – ranged from 5.11–5.29% – as observed in Västsverige in Sweden, Steiermark in Austria, Tübingen and Karlsruhe (both Germany). 

• By contrast, there were 5 regions where R&D intensity was less than 0.30% in 2020. 4 of these were located in Romania, including the Sud-Est and Sud-Vest Oltenia regions that had the lowest ratios in the EU, at 0.09% and 0.10%; the other region was Notio Aigaio in Greece. 

Looking in more detail at the composition of R&D personnel by sector of performance in 2020, the following can be noted:

• Stuttgart in Germany (2019 data), Warszawski stołeczny in Poland, and Hovedstaden in Denmark (2019 data) were the only regions in the EU where R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector accounted for at least 3.0% of total employment.
• There were 7 regions in the EU where R&D personnel in the higher education sector accounted for at least 2.0% of total employment – the capital regions of Wien in Austria (2019 data), Bratislavský kraj in Slovakia, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest in Belgium (2019 data), Warszawski stołeczny in Poland and Hovedstaden in Denmark (2019 data), as well as the Greek regions of Ipeiros and Dytiki Elláda.
• The capital regions of Praha in Czechia, Bratislavský kraj in Slovakia, Attiki in Greece and Budapest in Hungary, together with Kriti in Greece and Bremen in Germany (2019 data) were the only regions in the EU where R&D personnel in the government sector accounted for at least 1.0% of total employment.

In 2021, the 3 regions in the EU with the highest number of nights spent in tourist accommodation by domestic tourists were all located in France: Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (34.3 million), the capital region of Ile-de-France (32.1 million) and Rhône-Alpes (30.1 million). 2 more French regions – Languedoc-Roussillon and Aquitaine – were also present among a total of 9 regions with more than 25.0 million nights.

Andalucía had the highest number of nights spent (28.7 million) by domestic tourists in Spain (and the 4th highest number in the EU), while Schleswig-Holstein (28.5 million) had the highest number in Germany, and Emilia-Romagna (25.3 million) in Italy. Cataluña (Spain) was the only other region across the EU with more than 25.0 million nights spent by domestic tourists.

In relative terms, the highest proportion of domestic tourist nights was recorded in the northern German region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; in 2021, domestic tourists accounted for 98.1% of the 23.8 million nights spent in the tourist accommodation of this region. There were 12 other regions where domestic tourists accounted for at least 95.0% of the total nights spent: 5 of these were located in Poland, 3 each in Germany and Romania, and a single region in the Netherlands.

In 2021, the number of people travelling abroad for tourism started to slowly recover from the COVID-19 crisis, despite some restrictions being maintained/re-introduced. The EU destinations with the highest number of nights spent by foreign tourists were: Jadranska Hrvatska in Croatia (61.0 million), the Spanish regions of Canarias (32.1 million) and Illes Balears (25.4 million), and Veneto in Italy (28.3 million).

There were 10 more regions across the EU which reported more than 10.0 million nights spent by foreign tourists in 2021: 3 Mediterranean regions in Spain, 3 regions in northern/central Italy, 2 island regions in Greece, as well as Tirol in Austria and the French capital region of Ile-de-France.

In most EU regions, a majority of the total nights spent in tourist accommodation during 2021 were accounted for by domestic tourists. However, there were 31 regions (out of 242 for which data are available, or 12.8%) where the number of nights spent by foreign tourists was higher than that recorded for domestic tourists.

The relative importance of foreign tourists was particularly high in 3 popular holiday destinations, where they accounted for more than 9 out of every 10 nights spent in tourist accommodation: the Greek island regions of Kriti (94.4%) and Ionia Nisia (91.1%), as well as Jadranska Hrvatska (90.8%).

Tourism was one of the economic activities most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and associated containment measures. The pandemic had a considerable impact on the economies of the most frequented tourist destinations in the EU. This was particularly notable for those destinations that are popular with foreign tourists or typically reached by air transport. By contrast, there were some regions that benefitted during the pandemic from an increase in domestic travellers.

The impact of the COVID-19 crisis was evident insofar as the most frequented regions in the EU have traditionally been popular holiday destinations/regions that are located around the Mediterranean Sea or islands in the Atlantic. In 2020 this changed, as many people did not go on holiday or took a holiday in their own domestic market (‘staycations’). As a result, the northern German regions of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – that have extensive Baltic/North Sea coastlines – both moved into the list of the 10 most frequented regions.

Contrary to the situation for air passenger transport, the COVID-19 crisis did not have a major impact on freight and mail. There was a modest fall to 12.4 million tonnes in 2020, but the level of freight and mail loaded and unloaded in 2021 surpassed its pre-pandemic level, reaching 15.0 million tonnes.

The regional distribution of loading and unloading of air freight and mail is concentrated in some of the most densely populated regions of western EU countries, where an extensive motorway network is used by freight forwarders to efficiently reach a critical mass of clients within close proximity.

Some main findings are:

• In 2021, the quantity of air freight and mail that was loaded and unloaded equated to an average of 33.7 kg per inhabitant.
• The 3 regions with the highest quantities of air freight and mail loaded and unloaded were the same as for the highest numbers of air passengers: Darmstadt (2.3 million tonnes), Île-de-France (2.1 million tonnes), and Noord-Holland (1.7 million tonnes).
• They were followed by Leipzig in Germany (1.6 million tonnes), Prov. Liège in Belgium (1.3 million tonnes) and Luxembourg (1.1 million tonnes). The first 2 of these – Leipzig and Prov. Liège – are logistics hubs for international courier services, while Luxembourg is home to one of the largest cargo airlines in the world.
• These 3 regions also recorded, by far, the highest ratios of air freight and mail per inhabitant – Luxembourg (1.7 tonnes per inhabitant), Leipzig (1.5 tonnes per inhabitant) and Prov. Liège (1.2 tonnes per inhabitant) – with the next highest ratio in Prov. Vlaams-Brabant (596 kg per inhabitant).

Between 2011 and 2021, the incidence rate of road fatalities in the EU fell by almost one third (down 30.8%). In recent years, there has been some evidence of a slowdown in the rate at which road fatalities were falling.

However, this changed abruptly in 2020, as the number of road fatalities fell sharply, with almost 4 000 fewer deaths on the EU’s roads than in 2019. This considerable decline (17.2%) can likely be attributed to a reduction in the number and average length of road journeys during periods when COVID-19 restrictions were in place.

In 2021, there were fewer restrictions on personal travel linked to the pandemic and the use of motor vehicles increased: the number of road fatalities in the EU increased 5.8%.

Some key highlights concerning developments at a regional level:

• A fall in the incidence rate of road fatalities between 2011 and 2021 was observed in more than 9 out of every 10 regions for which data are available.
• Leaving aside Ciudad de Ceuta in Spain and Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste in Italy (where there were no road fatalities in 2021 and 2020, respectively), the most rapid decline between 2011 and 2021 was recorded in the Belgian capital Région de Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (down 68.2%).
• Drenthe in the Netherlands, Burgenland in Austria, Oberfranken and Bremen in Germany, and Sterea Elláda in Greece also recorded falls of more than 60.0%.
• By contrast, there were 18 regions across the EU where the rate of road fatalities increased during the period under consideration, the highest increases –upwards of 30.0% – were observed in Molise in Italy and Sud-Est in Romania.

In relative terms, the highest incidence rates of road injuries (more than 5 000 per million inhabitants) were recorded in 4 Austrian regions: Kärnten, Tirol, Vorarlberg and Oberösterreich.

They were joined by the Spanish autonomous region of Ciudad de Melilla and 2 other Austrian regions – Salzburg and Steiermark – as the only regions in the EU to record incidence rates of road injuries that were higher than 5 000 per million inhabitants.

Note that there are no regional data available for the Netherlands for the road injuries.

The incidence of road injuries in the EU fell 30.3% between 2011 and 2021. As for road fatalities, there was a marked fall in the number of road injuries in 2020, likely reflecting lower road transport activity during the COVID-19 crisis, with a partial rebound in 2021.

Over the longer term, the pattern of falling road injuries between 2011 and 2021 was repeated in the vast majority (179 out of 206) of regions for which data are available.

The incidence rate fell by more than 60.0% in 3 southern regions of the EU: Dytiki Makedonia and Kriti (both in Greece), and Cyprus. By contrast, Región de Murcia and Comunidad Foral de Navarra (both in Spain) were the only regions where the incidence of road injuries more than doubled during the period under consideration.

Over the period from 1992 to 2022, the average number of heating degree days in the EU followed a clear downward development.

At the start of this period, there were 3 209 heating degree days per year. Three decades later in 2022, this figure had fallen to 2 858 per year (a reduction of 11.0%). This fall in heating needs may be linked in part, to rising global temperatures.

In 2022, the EU regions with the highest number of heating degree days were located in the Nordic countries. This was particularly notable for the northernmost regions of Övre Norrland in Sweden (6 015 heating degree days per year) and Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi in Finland (5 608 heating degree days per year). In 2022, a building in Övre Norrland would have required almost 60 times as much heating as the same building in the Spanish region of Canarias (where the lowest number of heating degree days was recorded, at 103 per year).

Comparing the situation in 1992 with that in 2022, the number of heating degree days fell for all 233 EU regions for which data are available. The largest reductions were observed across Spain: the number of heating degree days almost halved in Ciudad de Ceuta and Canarias, while there were also considerable falls recorded in the island regions Cyprus (down 41.0%), Illes Balears (Spain; down 36.7%) and Notio Aigaio (Greece; down 35.8%).

In contrast to the situation for heating, there was an increase in the EU’s average number of cooling degree days between 1992 and 2022.

At the start of the period under consideration, the average number of cooling degree days was 68 per year. Three decades later in 2022, this value had more than doubled to 140 days per year (up 104.0%).

In 2022, the highest numbers of cooling degree days were recorded in the Mediterranean island regions of Malta (842 per year) and Cyprus (698 per year), and the interior Spanish region of Extremadura (645 per year).

By contrast, all of the regions in Denmark, Ireland, Finland and Sweden recorded less than 10 cooling degree days per year.

A comparison over time (1992–2022) reveals that the number of cooling degree days rose in 85% of the 219 EU regions for which data are available. This value at least doubled in 97 regions. By contrast, there were 33 regions that recorded a fall in their number of cooling degree days: they were located across 7 different EU Member States – Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Hungary, Austria, Poland and Slovakia.

In December 2022, the EU regions with the largest swine populations included Aragón (9.6 million head) and Cataluña (7.9 million) in Spain, and Bretagne in France (6.8 million). Data are only available for NUTS level 1 regions in Germany, where the highest counts were recorded in Niedersachsen (7.1 million head) and Nordrhein-Westfalen (5.8 million).

Germany and Spain are the main producers of pig meat in the EU. Their pig farming activities were highly concentrated: Niedersachsen and Nordrhein-Westfalen together accounted for approximately three fifths (60.2%) of the swine population in Germany; Aragón and Cataluña together accounted for more than half (51.6%) of the swine population in Spain. Denmark was also relatively specialised in the production of pig meat.

Bovine animals – cattle, buffalos and hybrids – are principally reared in rural, north-western regions of the EU, characterised by a temperate climate and abundant pastures.

In December 2022, there were 74.9 million head of bovine animals in the EU.

Almost two fifths (38.3%) of the total bovine population of the EU were reared in 17 regions (each of which had more than 1.0 million head of bovine animals).

The highest regional counts were recorded in Southern (3.5 million) and Northern and Western (1.6 million) in Ireland; Pays-de-la-Loire (2.1 million), Bretagne (1.8 million), Auvergne and Basse-Normandie (both 1.5 million) in France; Lombardia (1.5 million) in Italy; and Castilla y León (1.5 million) in Spain. Data are again only available for NUTS level 1 regions in Germany, where the highest counts of bovine animals were recorded in Bayern (2.9 million) and Niedersachsen (2.4 million).

Among the 10 regions in the EU that had at least 1.5 million head of bovine animals, bovine animals accounted for approximately 7 out of 10 animals in the total livestock populations of Basse-Normandie, Auvergne and Southern.

Spain, Romania, Greece, France, Italy and Ireland had the largest sheep populations in the EU. As well as meat and wool production, sheep are also farmed to produce milk and subsequently cheese; this was particularly the case in Romania and Italy.

In December 2022, the highest regional counts of sheep were recorded in Extremadura (3.6 million), Castilla-la Mancha (2.3 million), Castilla y León (also 2.3 million) and Andalucía (2.1 million) in Spain, Sardegna (3.1 million) in Italy, Centru (2.3 million) in Romania, Northern and Western (2.1 million) in Ireland, and Kriti (2.0 million) in Greece. Together, these 8 regions – the only regions in the EU with at least 2.0 million head of sheep – accounted for approximately one third of the EU’s total sheep population.

It is common for goat farming to take place in relatively hilly/mountainous, remote and arid regions of the EU; some goats are reared on common land.

In December 2022, the goat population of the EU stood at 11.3 million head. The highest regional count – 917 000 head – was in Andalucía in Spain.The next highest number was recorded in the Greek island region of Kriti (515 000 head).

The only other regions in the EU to record more than 300 000 head of goats were: 3 more regions in Greece, Peloponnisos, Kentriki Makedonia and Dytiki Elláda; Sud-Est in Romania; Castilla-la Mancha in Spain; and Poitou-Charentes in France.

Canarias in Spain was the only region in the EU where goats accounted for a majority of all livestock; it had 207 000 head of goats in December 2022.

Common wheat and spelt was the most frequently grown category of cereals in the EU with 130 million tonnes of harvested production in 2021 (or 43.7% of total cereals output).

The principal areas in the EU for producing common wheat and spelt generally ran in a band of regions from France, through Germany, extending into eastern regions of the EU alongside the course of the Danube.

In 2021, the 5 regions with the highest levels of regional output for common wheat and spelt were Centre – Val de Loire (4.6 million tonnes) and Picardie (4.4 million tonnes) in France, Vidurio ir vakarų Lietuvos regionas (4.0 million tonnes) in Lithuania, Castilla y León (also 4.0 million tonnes) in Spain, and Bayern (3.5 million tonnes; NUTS level 1) in Germany.

A majority of the EU’s production of grain maize and corn-cob mix is used by livestock farmers as a high energy ingredient in animal feed. The statistics presented here exclude the production of sweet corn cobs for human consumption.

In 2021, 73 million tonnes of grain maize and corn-cob mix were harvested in the EU; this was close to one quarter (24.5%) of the EU’s total cereal production.

The principal regions for the production of grain maize and corn-cob mix were located in southern and eastern EU countries. In 2021, the highest levels of regional output were recorded in Romania – Sud-Est (3.6 million tonnes), Sud-Muntenia (3.1 million tonnes), Nord-Est (2.8 million tonnes) and Nord-Vest (1.7 million tonnes) – and in the French region of Aquitaine (2.9 million tonnes).

Barley was the 3rd most commonly harvested cereal in the EU, with 52 million tonnes of production in 2021 (some 17.5% of total cereals output). Barley is generally used as animal fodder and for the manufacture of beer and whisky.

In some regions, where climatic conditions deter farmers from cultivating wheat, barley is often grown as an alternative. This was particularly notable in Ireland, some south-eastern regions of Spain and northerly regions of Sweden and Finland; in these areas, barley often accounted for more than half of all cereals production.

In 2021, the highest levels of barley output were recorded across some of the most prominent cereals producing regions of the EU: Castilla y León (3.2 million tonnes), Castilla-la Mancha (2.5 million tonnes) and Aragón (1.7 million tonnes) in Spain, Centre – Val de Loire (2.0 million tonnes) and Champagne-Ardenne (1.9 million tonnes) in France, as well as Bayern (1.9 million tonnes; NUTS level 1) in Germany.

Triticale is a hybrid crop species – a man-made cross between wheat and rye. It has a variety of uses, including: feed for livestock, the manufacture of bread and pasta, or as a raw material for biofuels.

In 2021, the EU’s harvested production of triticale was 11.6 million tonnes (or 3.9% of the EU’s total cereal output).

The highest levels of production were recorded across Poland, Germany and France: together they accounted for more than three quarters of the EU’s harvested production of triticale. The 5 regions with the highest levels of triticale output were all located in Poland: Wielkopolskie (1.0 million tonnes), followed by Mazowiecki regionalny, Łódzkie, Lubelskie and Kujawsko-pomorskie.

Rye and winter cereal mixtures (maslin) are grains used to produce a variety of food and drink products, including flour, crispbreads, beer and vodka.

In 2021, the EU’s harvested production of rye and winter cereal mixtures was 8.4 million tonnes (or 2.8% of the EU’s total cereal production).

The production of rye and winter cereal mixtures in the EU was largely concentrated in Germany and Poland. Together they accounted for almost three quarters (73.0%) of the EU’s total output in 2021. The highest levels of regional production were recorded in Niedersachsen (904 000 tonnes) and Brandenburg (613 000 tonnes) in Germany (note: both NUTS level 1 regions), Wielkopolskie (524 000 tonnes) and Mazowiecki regionalny (447 000 tonnes) in Poland.

Durum wheat is primarily grown in the Mediterranean basin and is principally used in the manufacture of food products (for example, pasta, semolina, couscous, bulgur and bread).

In 2021, the total harvested production of durum wheat in the EU was 8.2 million tonnes (or 2.8% of the EU’s total cereal output).

Italy alone accounted for more than half (51.2%) of the EU’s harvested production of durum wheat in 2021. The highest levels of production were recorded in Puglia (967 000 tonnes) and Sicilia (745 000 tonnes). Andalucía (546 000 tonnes) in Spain and Centre – Val de Loire (529 000 tonnes) were the only other regions in the EU to record in excess of 500 00 tonnes of output.

Oats are suitable for human consumption (breakfast cereals, oatmeal and oat milk), but a majority of the EU’s harvested production is destined for use as animal feed.

In 2021, the EU’s harvested production of oats was 7.5 million tonnes (or 2.5% of the EU’s total cereal production).

Almost half (48.4%) of the EU’s harvested production of oats in 2021 was concentrated in Poland, Spain and Finland. The highest levels of regional output were recorded in: Castilla-La Mancha (442 000 tonnes) and Castilla y León (237 000 tonnes) in Spain, Länsi-Suomi (396 000 tonnes) and Etelä-Suomi (235 000 tonnes) in Finland, Lubelskie (242 000 tonnes) in Poland, and Västsverige (241 000 tonnes) in Sweden. These were the only regions across the EU to record production levels for oats of at least 235 000 tonnes.

The cultivation of rice is concentrated principally in southern regions of the EU.

Although it is not a major global producer of rice, the EU is self-sufficient in the production of short and medium grain (japonica) varieties, while it is a net importer of long grain (indica) rice.

In 2021, the EU harvested 2.6 million tonnes of rice (equivalent to 0.9% of the EU’s total cereal production). Rice cultivation in the EU is highly concentrated: in fact, rice was only grown in 8 of the EU countries, with Italy and Spain together accounting for almost four fifths (78.7%) of its production. The highest regional levels of harvested rice production were in Piemonte (759 000 tonnes) and Lombardia (622 000 tonnes) in Italy, Kentriki Makedonia (214 000 tonnes) in Greece, and Andalucía (180 000 tonnes) in Spain.