Regions in Europe – 2024 edition

In 2022, some of the lowest crude rates of population change were in Bulgarian and Hungarian regions. Severoiztochen – a region in north-east Bulgaria – had the most rapid decline. Its population fell 103.1 per 1 000 inhabitants, principally 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 that had a rapid fall in their overall population.

In 2022, the lowest crude rates of natural population change (in other words, regions that had more deaths than births) were concentrated in Bulgaria, eastern Germany, Greece, north-west Spain and Italy. Many of these were rural and/or remote regions with declining population numbers, low fertility rates and a relatively elderly population structure. The lowest crude rate of natural population change was in the Bulgarian region of Severozapaden (a fall of 15.2 per 1 000 inhabitants).

In 2022, the Czech capital region of Praha had the highest crude rate of population change. Its population increased 62.2 per 1 000 inhabitants, almost entirely due to net inward migration, either from other Czech regions or from outside Czechia.

Most of the other regions with the fastest population growth in 2022 were capital regions, for example

• Eastern and Midland in Ireland
• Malta
• Sostinės regionas in Lithuania
• Wien in Austria
• Estonia
• Luxembourg
• Berlin in Germany

There was also relatively rapid population growth – more than 20.0 per 1 000 inhabitants – in 5 more Czech regions (Střední Čechy, Jihozápad, Severovýchod, Jihovýchod and Severozápad), the other 2 regions of Ireland (Southern and Northern and Western), Mayotte (a French outermost region), Cataluña, Comunitat Valenciana, Ciudad de Melilla, Aragón (all in Spain), Flevoland in the Netherlands and Hamburg in Germany.

In each of these regions, population growth was principally driven by net inward migration. Mayotte was the only exception, with a higher crude rate of natural change (its net inward migration was also positive). It also had the highest crude rate of natural change in the EU, at 32.2 per 1 000 inhabitants.

There were 14 regions in the EU with a median age of at least 50.0 years in 2023. They were

• the Italian regions of Liguria (which had the highest median age in the EU, at 52.1 years), Sardegna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Piemonte and Molise
• the eastern German regions of Chemnitz, Sachsen-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thüringen and Brandenburg
• the Spanish autonomous region of Principado de Asturias and Castilla y León
• the Bulgarian regions of Severozapaden and Severen tsentralen

At the other end of the scale, the French outermost regions of Mayotte and Guyane had the youngest populations in the EU. They had median ages of 17.7 and 26.5 years, respectively. The next lowest median ages were in the Spanish autonomous region of Ciudad de Melilla and the capital regions of Belgium, Ireland and France.

According to the latest population projections for EU regions (made in 2021), the highest median ages in 2050 are projected for Principado de Asturias (59.1 years) and Castilla y León (57.9 years) in Spain, as well as the island region of Sardegna in Italy (also 57.9 years). By contrast, the lowest median ages are projected for 2 outermost regions of the EU: Mayotte (21.1 years) and Guyane (30.6 years).

Looking at the projected developments between 2023 and 2050, the median age is projected to increase in 95% of EU regions (227 out of 239 regions for which data are available). The only exceptions are in Germany (5 regions) and France (4 regions), as well as single regions in Greece, Finland and Sweden.

Between 2023 and 2050, some of the largest increases in median ages – within the range of 8.6 to 9.3 years – are projected for 9 different Polish regions Západné Slovensko in Slovakia and Malta. However, the largest increase is projected for Bucureşti-Ilfov (the capital region of Romania), its median age projected to rise from 41.7 to 53.8 years.

The next set of regional population projections should be released in 2025.

In 2022, the highest levels of life expectancy at birth for females were concentrated in Spain. The peak of 87.7 years was in the capital region of Comunidad de Madrid, while 7 more, principally northern regions of Spain had female life expectancy of at least 86.0 years. Ile-de-France and Rhône-Alpes (both France) and Provincia Autonoma di Trento in Italy also recorded values above this level. More generally, newborn girls in Spanish, French and Italian regions could expect to live longest.

As for females, the Spanish capital region of Comunidad de Madrid had the highest life expectancy at birth for males in 2022 (82.4 years). The Italian regions of Provincia Autonoma di Trento, Emilia-Romagna, and Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen, and the Swedish regions of Stockholm, Småland med öarna and Västsverige also recorded levels of at least 81.5 years. More generally, newborn boys in Spanish, Italian and Swedish regions could expect to live longest.

Between 2021 and 2022, 54% of EU regions recorded an increase in life expectancy at birth, 5% no change, and 41% a decrease. The largest increases – at least 2.5 years – were in Bulgaria (all 6 regions), Romania (4 regions), Slovakia (2 regions) and France (2 outermost regions). Many of the regions in eastern EU countries characterised by rising life expectancy had been severely impacted by second or later waves of the COVID-19 pandemic (in 2021); as such, their latest figures reflect something of a rebound.

Life expectancy fell between 2021 and 2022 in every region of Finland and in a majority of the regions across Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain and France; it dropped in Malta too. Åland in Finland recorded the largest fall in life expectancy, down by 1.5 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.

According to the latest population projections (made in 2021), life expectancy is projected to increase in every region of the EU between 2022 and 2050. At one end of the range, the projected increases will be an additional 9.4 years of life for someone born in the Bulgarian region of Severozapaden or the French outermost region of Mayotte. By contrast, life expectancy is projected to increase by 3.3 years in the Swedish capital region of Stockholm and by 3.4 years in the Spanish capital region of Comunidad de Madrid – the smallest increases among EU regions.

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

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. In 2021, the standardised death rate for diseases of the circulatory system was 343.4 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in the EU.

Severozapaden in north-west Bulgaria had the highest death rate among EU regions for diseases of the circulatory system (1 332.3 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants). This figure was 9.5 times as high as in the French capital region of Ile-de-France (140.9 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants), which had the lowest rate.

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 2021, men were more likely to die from cancer than women: the latest rates across the EU were 307.5 deaths per 100 000 male inhabitants and 184.0 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 235.4 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. The highest death rate was in Dél-Dunántúl in Hungary (336.1 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants), more than twice as high as in the region with the lowest rate, Guyane in France (154.2 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants).

In 2021, the EU’s standardised death rate for diseases of the respiratory system (which include, asthma, flu and pneumonia) was 65.5 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. Men were almost twice as likely as women to die from these diseases: 92.5 deaths per 100 000 male inhabitants and 48.0 deaths per 100 000 female inhabitants.

Among EU regions, the highest death rate for diseases of the respiratory system was in the Romanian region of Vest (220.0 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in 2021). This was 9.4 times as high as the lowest death rate recorded in the capital region of Slovenia, Zahodna Slovenija (23.5 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. In 2021, the highest death rates were generally observed in regions across Romania and Slovakia. Região Autónoma da Madeira (Portugal), Severen tsentralen and Severozapaden (both Bulgaria) and Mayotte in France also had relatively high rates.

In 2023, 44.7% of the EU’s working age population had a medium (at most upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary) level of formal education. In 93 out of the 241 regions for which data are available, at least 50.0% 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 in 2023

• 4 of the 5 were located in Czechia, with a peak of 73.0% in Střední Morava
• the other – Západné Slovensko – was in neighbouring Slovakia.

A majority of the working age population in eastern EU countries had a medium level of educational attainment (although lower shares were often recorded for capital regions), with high shares also recorded for many regions in Austria.

Tertiary education builds on secondary education, providing learning in specialised fields of study. It comprises programmes that are an academic education leading to, among other qualifications, a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree. It also includes advanced vocational or professional education.

The European Year of Skills ran from 2023 into 2024. Skilled workers generally have more and better job opportunities and possibilities to engage more fully in society, while a highly educated workforce may contribute to sustainable growth, innovation and competitiveness.

A 35.1% share of the EU’s working age population had a tertiary (or high) level of formal education in 2023. There were 21 regions across the EU where at least half of all working age people had a high level of education: this group included the capital regions of Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Ireland, France, Hungary, Denmark, Belgium, Czechia, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Spain.

Prov. Brabant wallon and Prov. Vlaams-Brabant (both Belgium), Utrecht in the Netherlands, País Vasco in Spain, the Northern and Western and Southern regions of Ireland, and Sydsverige in Sweden were the only other regions where at least half of the working age population had a high level of education.

In 2023, the EU’s employment rate for people (aged 20–34 years) having recently completed an upper secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary or tertiary education was 83.5%. There were 7 regions (out of a total of 218 for which data are available), where this employment rate was at least 95.0%

• Flevoland (100.0%) and Zeeland (96.6%) in the Netherlands
• Niederbayern (99.4%) and Dresden (95.3%) in Germany
• Malta (95.8%)
• the Hungarian capital region of Budapest (95.2%)
• Prov. Antwerpen in Belgium (95.1%).

In relative terms, France had the largest spread of employment rates for recent school leavers or university graduates. In 2023, the lowest employment rate in the EU was in the outermost region of La Réunion (43.8%), while the southern region of Midi-Pyrénées had a rate that was more than twice as high (94.6%). There was also a relatively large spread of employment rates for recent school leavers or university graduates across Italian, Greek and Spanish regions.

In 2023, there were 3 regions in the EU where the male employment rate was at least 90.0%: 2 of these were in Czechia – Střední Čechy (91.3%) and the capital region of Praha (90.4%) – while the other was the Polish capital region of Warszawski stołeczny (90.0%). Åland in Finland had the highest female employment rate (87.5%), while there were relatively high female employment rates in the Slovak, Polish, Lithuanian and Swedish capital regions of Bratislavský kraj (85.8%), Warszawski stołeczny (83.2%), Sostinės regionas (83.1%) and Stockholm (82.5%).

At the other end of the scale, there were 9 regions across the EU where in 2023 less than 50.0% of all women aged 20–64 years were in employment. A majority (6 out of the 9) were located in southern Italy, with the lowest rates in Campania (33.8%), Calabria (35.2%) and Sicilia (35.5%). The remainder of this group was composed of 2 autonomous Spanish regions – Ciudad de Ceuta and Ciudad de Melilla – and the French outermost region of Guyane.

In 2023, there were 3 regions in the EU where no more than 60.0% of all men aged 20–64 years were in employment. They were the French outermost regions of Guadeloupe (60.0%) and La Réunion (59.1%), and Ciudad de Melilla, where the lowest rate was recorded (57.4%).

The male employment rate for the EU was 80.4% in 2023, this was 10.2 percentage points (pp) higher than the corresponding rate for women (70.2%). This pattern – a higher male than female employment rate – was repeated across all but 4 EU regions. The only exceptions were

• Åland in Finland, where the female employment rate (87.5%) was 6.5 pp higher than the corresponding male rate (81.0%)
• Etelä-Suomi and Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi (also both in Finland), where female employment rates were only marginally higher than male rates, with gender gaps of 1.0 pp and 0.8 pp, respectively
• the Slovak capital region of Bratislavský kraj, where female and male employment rates were identical, at 85.8%.

There were 17 regions across the EU where the employment gender gap (with a higher rate for men) was greater than 20.0 pp in 2023; these regions were exclusively found across Greece, Italy and Romania. The largest gender gaps were in the southern Italian regions of Campania and Puglia. In the former, the male employment rate was 63.3%, 29.5 pp higher than the female rate (33.8%), while the male employment rate in Puglia was 69.6%, also 29.5 pp higher than the female rate (40.1%).

At the other end of the range, the smallest employment gender gaps – less than 5.0 pp in 2023 – were mainly concentrated in regions across France, Sweden, Germany, Portugal and the Baltic countries.

In 2023, the highest regional unemployment rates were in

• the 2 autonomous Spanish regions of Ciudad de Ceuta (30.0%) and Ciudad de Melilla (26.6%)
• 2 outermost regions of France, La Réunion (19.0%) and Guadeloupe (18.6%)
• another Spanish region, Andalucía (18.3%).

By contrast, the unemployment rate was no higher than 2.0% across 6 different regions of the EU

• Střední Čechy and Jihozápad in Czechia
• Pomorskie and Warszawski stołeczny in Poland
• Schwaben in southern Germany
• Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen in northern Italy.

The EU youth unemployment rate (for people aged 15–29 years) stood at 11.2% in 2023; this was almost twice as high as the overall unemployment rate (for people aged 15–74 years). The youth unemployment rate was higher than the overall unemployment rate in every region of the EU.

In 2023, the youth unemployment rate was at least 3.0 times as high as the overall unemployment rate in Centru and Nord-Vest (both Romania), and Prov. Vlaams-Brabant in Belgium. By contrast, the smallest relative differences were observed in the Lithuanian capital region of Sostinės regionas, Ciudad de Melilla in Spain, Notio Aigaio in Greece, Hamburg in Germany, Niederösterreich in Austria and Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest in Belgium. Their youth unemployment rates were no more than 1.4 times as high as their overall unemployment rates.

In 2023, the highest youth unemployment rates tended to be recorded in regions that exhibited the highest overall unemployment rates. There were 11 regions that had youth unemployment rates of at least 30.0%

• 3 of these were in Spain, including the highest rate in the EU, as recorded in Ciudad de Ceuta (48.7%)
• 3 were southern regions of Italy, with the highest rate in Calabria (35.5%)
• 3 were in Greece, with the highest rates in Dytiki Makedonia and Ionia Nisia (both 33.7%)
• 2 were outermost regions of France, with the highest rate in La Réunion (33.2%).

In 2023, there were 4.6 million people in the EU without a job, who were actively seeking work for at least 12 months: the long-term unemployment rate was 2.1%.

In 2023, there were 7 regions in the EU where the long-term unemployment rate was at least 10.0%

• the 2 autonomous Spanish regions of Ciudad de Ceuta (16.1%) and Ciudad de Melilla (15.7%)
• 3 regions from southern Italy: Campania (11.8%), Calabria (11.0%) and Sicilia (10.5%).
• the outermost French region of  Guadeloupe (11.4%)
• Dytiki Makedonia in Greece (11.0%).

In 37 out of the 189 EU regions for which data are available in 2023, the long-term unemployment rate was less than 1.0%. There were several regions in each of Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary and the Netherlands characterised by a very low share of their labour force facing long-term unemployment. The lowest rates in the EU were recorded in Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen in Belgium, Praha in Czechia and Utrecht in the Netherlands (all 0.3%).

Back in 2018, the share of people in the EU making daily use of the internet stood at 74.1%. This share increased every year, rising 11.8 percentage points to 85.9% by 2023. The share of people using the internet on a daily basis tended to increase more rapidly in regions where internet use was initially low; this was particularly the case in Bulgaria and Romania.

By contrast, it was already common in 2018 for a relatively high share of people to use the internet on a daily basis in many northern and western regions of the EU. For many of these regions, daily internet use remained relatively unchanged between 2018 and 2023. There were 8 regions in the EU where daily internet use fell during the period under consideration: 5 of them were located in Germany and the other 3 were in France. The largest fall was in the northern German region of Bremen.

In 2023, 69.6% of people in the EU bought/ordered goods or services over the internet during the 12 months prior to the survey. The eastern Dutch region of Overijssel had the highest share among EU regions, at 95.4%. More generally, there was high propensity for online shopping, as at least 85.0% of people used e-commerce during the 12 months prior to the survey, in

• every region of the Netherlands
• most regions in Denmark and Sweden – Nordjylland and Mellersta Norrland were the only exceptions
• the Czech capital region of Praha
• the Irish regions of Northern and Western, and Eastern and Midland
• the German region of Saarland.

At the lower end of the range, there were 7 regions where less than 40.0% of people bought/ordered goods or services over the internet in 2023. They were primarily located in Bulgaria and Italy (both 3 regions), but also included the French outermost region of Guadeloupe; the latter had the lowest share at 31.2%.

In 2023, 63.9% of people in the EU used the internet for banking during the 3 months prior to the survey. In every region of Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland, at least 90.0% of people made use of internet banking. The highest shares were recorded in the Danish regions of Hovedstaden (the capital region, 97.1%) and Syddanmark (97.0%).

By contrast, less than 1 in 4 people made use of internet banking in 2023 across every region of Bulgaria, except for the capital region of Yugozapaden. There was a similar pattern in Romania, as the capital region of Bucureşti-Ilfov and Nord-Vest were the only regions with shares above 25%.

One of the most common activities on the internet is participating in social networks, for example, using Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or X (formerly known as Twitter). The propensity to make use of such services is closely linked to age, with a much higher share of younger people (16–24 years) using social networks on a regular basis.

In 2023, close to 3 out of 5 people in the EU participated in social networks during the 3 months prior to the latest survey. This share peaked at 92.8% in the Danish region of Midtjylland, while there were 16 other regions that recorded shares of at least 80.0%

• the 4 remaining regions of Denmark
• 7 out of 8 regions in Hungary
• Flevoland in the Netherlands
• the Finnish regions of Helsinki-Uusimaa and Etelä-Suomi
• the Romanian capital region of Bucureşti-Ilfov
• Cyprus (region of Kýpros).

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, the vast majority (22 out of 26) of regions in France had less than 50.0% of their population participating in social networks in 2023. This pattern was repeated for a majority of the 16 NUTS level 1 regions of Germany, as well as in 1 northern and 4 southern 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 is expressed using an artificial common currency unit called a purchasing power standard (PPS). These figures, in contrast to figures based on euro values, tend to have somewhat less variation, as regions/countries with very high GDP per inhabitant in euro terms also tend to have relatively high price levels.

In 2022, the 3 regions with the highest levels of GDP per inhabitant were the Irish regions of Southern (101 200 PPS per inhabitant) and Eastern and Midland (87 600 PPS per inhabitant) as well as Luxembourg (90 900 PPS per inhabitant). These particularly high levels of GDP may be linked to the presence of multinational enterprises (especially when capital assets are domiciled in a region) and, in the case of Luxembourg, to a relatively high proportion of the economic output being generated by cross-border commuters.

There were 6 other regions across the EU where GDP per inhabitant was at least 60 000 PPS: the capital regions of Czechia, Belgium, Denmark and Romania, as well as Hamburg and Oberbayern in Germany.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing remain important activities in predominantly rural regions, especially within southern and eastern EU countries. There were 7 regions across the EU where agriculture, forestry and fishing accounted for more than a tenth of total gross value added in 2021. The central Greek region of Thessalia had the highest share (13.6%) in the EU and was joined by its neighbouring region of Dytiki Makedonia. The other 5 regions included Severen tsentralen, Severozapaden (both Bulgaria), Panonska Hrvatska in Croatia, Alentejo in Portugal and Dél-Alföld in Hungary. Many of the regions with high shares of agriculture, forestry and fishing activity were rural landscapes characterised by expansive plains.

The Irish region of Southern was the only region in the EU where a majority of its total value added (70.4% in 2021) 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 3 other regions in the EU where industry and construction accounted for at least 45.0% of total value added in 2021: Sterea Elláda in Greece (46.0%), Észak-Magyarország in Hungary (45.7%) and Övre Norrland in Sweden (45.1%). More generally, several regions within eastern EU countries also had high shares. Many of these 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 – 92.6% of total value added in 2021 was from services.

The services sector accounted for at least 85.0% of total value added in 9 more capital regions across the EU in 2021: Luxembourg, Ile-de-France in France, Noord-Holland in the Netherlands, Attiki in Greece, Área Metropolitana de Lisboa in Portugal, Berlin in Germany, Budapest in Hungary, Malta and Stockholm in Sweden.

In 2021, services also accounted for at least 85.0% of total value added in 10 other regions across the EU. 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.

In 2021, 52 out of the 223 regions for which data are available had a ratio of R&D intensity above the EU average of 2.27%; some other key findings:

• In 2021, the Belgian regions of Prov. Brabant Wallon (11.39%) and Prov. Vlaams-Brabant (5.43%) and the German regions of Stuttgart (6.81%), Braunschweig (6.09%) and Tübingen (5.47%) had the highest ratios of R&D intensity.
• There were 4 other regions from Germany and 1 other region from Belgium – Karlsruhe, Dresden, Oberbayern, Rheinhessen-Pfalz and Prov. Antwerpen – as well as Västsverige in Sweden, Steiermark, Wien (both Austria) and Midi-Pyrénées (France) which all recorded ratios that were higher than 4.00%.
• By contrast, there were 5 regions where R&D intensity was no higher than 0.25%. This group included 4 regions from Romania and the autonomous region of Ciudad de Ceuta in Spain. The Romanian regions of Sud-Est and Sud-Vest Oltenia had the lowest ratios in the EU, at 0.10% and 0.12%, respectively.

Looking in more detail at the composition of R&D personnel in 2021, the following can be noted

• Stuttgart in Germany was the only region in the EU where R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector accounted for more than 4.0% of total employment. There were 4 other regions with shares that were higher than 3.0%: the capital regions of Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (Belgium) and Budapest (Hungary), as well as Steiermark in Austria and Västsverige in Sweden.
• There were 6 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, Bratislavský kraj in Slovakia, Grad Zagreb in Croatia and Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest in Belgium; they were joined by the Greek regions of Ipeiros and Dytiki Elláda.
• The capital regions of Praha in Czechia, Bratislavský kraj in Slovakia, Attiki in Greece, Grad Zagreb in Croatia and Budapest in Hungary, together with Kriti in Greece and Bremen in Germany 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 2023, the 3 regions in the EU with the highest number of nights spent in tourist accommodation by domestic tourists were all in France: the capital region of Ile-de-France (39.7 million), Rhône-Alpes (38.7 million) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (37.8 million). There were 4 more French regions – Languedoc-Roussillon, Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire and Bretagne – present among the 16 EU regions that had more than 20.0 million nights spent by domestic tourists.

Andalucía had the highest number of nights spent (35.6 million) by domestic tourists in Spain in 2023 (and the 4th highest number in the EU), while Schleswig-Holstein (32.7 million) had the highest number in Germany (5th highest), and Emilia-Romagna (28.1 million) in Italy (10th highest).

In relative terms, nights spent by domestic tourists accounted for 96.9% of the 28.1 million nights spent in the northern German region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in 2023, the highest share in the EU. There were 2 other regions where domestic tourists accounted for at least 95.0% of the total nights spent: both of these were located in Romania – Sud-Est (96.5%) and Sud-Vest (95.5%).

In 2023, the number of people travelling abroad for tourism had fully recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, with restrictions lifted for all destinations/tourists. Within the EU, the 3 regions with the highest number of nights spent by foreign tourists were the Spanish island regions of Canarias (83.2 million) and Illes Balears (61.7 million) and the Croatian coastal region of Jadranska Hrvatska (80.8 million).

There were 13 more regions across the EU which reported more than 20.0 million nights spent by foreign tourists in 2023: 5 regions in northern/central Italy (including the capital region of Lazio), 3 Mediterranean regions in Spain, 2 island regions in Greece, the French and Dutch capital regions of Ile-de-France and Noord-Holland, and Tirol in Austria.

There were 58 regions (out of 231 for which data are available, or 25.1%) 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 7 popular holiday destinations as they accounted for more than 9 out of every 10 nights spent in tourist accommodation: the Greek island regions of Kriti (94.6%), Ionia Nisia (93.6%) and Notio Aigaio (92.0%), Malta (93.1%), Jadranska Hrvatska (92.5%), Cyprus (90.8%) and Tirol (90.7%).

Tourism intensity – defined as the ratio of nights spent in tourist accommodation per 1 000 inhabitants – was 6 556 across the EU in 2023. The regional distribution of tourism pressures is skewed, highlighting that mass tourism tends to be concentrated in relatively few regions. Tourism intensity was higher than the EU average in 85 out of the 231 regions (or 36.8%).

There were 6 regions in the EU where the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation per 1 000 inhabitants was greater than 50 000 in 2023

• the Greek island regions of Notio Aigaio, Ionia Nisia and Kriti – the former had the highest ratio of tourism intensity, at 117 329 nights spent per 1 000 inhabitants
• the Alpine region of Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen in Italy
• the Adriatic region of Jadranska Hrvatska in Croatia
• the island region of Illes Balears in Spain.

Tourism density – defined as the relationship between the total number of nights spent in tourist accommodation and the total area of each region – provides an alternative measure to analyse sustainability issues. In 2023, there was an average of 696 nights spent in tourist accommodation for every square kilometre (km²) of the EU’s territory.

Regions where space is scarce generally have high ratios for tourism density. This is particularly true for capital regions, other major urban regions, and some coastal (particularly small island) regions. In 2023, the only regions in the EU to report more than 30 000 nights spent in tourist accommodation per km² were

• the capital regions of Region de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest in Belgium (43 995), Wien in Austria (39 697), Praha in Czechia (33 995), Berlin in Germany (32 978) and Malta (31 305)

The predominantly urban region of Hamburg in Germany (19 422), the Hungarian and Dutch capital regions of Budapest (19 010) and Noord-Holland (11 254), as well as the year-round, Spanish and Portuguese island destinations of Illes Balears (13 786), Canarias (12 834) and Região Autónoma da Madeira (11 558) were the only other regions where the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation was greater than 10 000 per km².

This information is influenced by the administrative boundaries delineating each region. For example, the capital region of Belgium covers an area of 162 km². By contrast, the French capital region of Ile-de-France – which was the 4th most frequented tourist destination in the EU – had a considerably larger area, at 12 070 km²; a high proportion of its visitors stay within the city boundaries of Paris (105 km²).

In 2022, the level of air freight and mail loaded and unloaded was 13.9 million tonnes. Contrary to the situation for air passenger transport, the COVID-19 crisis didn’t have a major impact on air freight and mail. There was only a modest fall to 12.4 million tonnes in 2020 and in 2021, the level of freight and mail loaded and unloaded (15.0 million tonnes) surpassed its pre-pandemic high, before falling back somewhat in 2022.

The regional distribution of air freight and mail loaded and unloaded 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 reach a critical mass of clients.

Some main findings

• in 2022, the quantity of air freight and mail loaded and unloaded in the EU equated to an average of 31.0 kg per inhabitant
• 3 of the top 4 regions with the highest quantities of air freight and mail loaded and unloaded were the same as for the highest numbers of air passengers: Ile-de-France (2.0 million tonnes), Darmstadt (2.0 million tonnes) and Noord-Holland (1.4 million tonnes)
• other regions with high levels of air freight and mail loaded and unloaded included Leipzig in Germany (1.5 million tonnes), Prov. Liège in Belgium (1.1 million tonnes), Köln in Germany (1.0 million tonnes) and Luxembourg (1.0 million tonnes); the first 3 of these regions are major logistics hubs for international courier services, while Luxembourg is home to 1 of the largest cargo airlines in the world.

In 2022, the total number of road fatalities in the EU rose 3.6% (compared with a year before) to reach 20 889. These latest figures are in contrast to the situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the number of road fatalities fell sharply in 2020, with almost 3 900 fewer deaths on the EU’s roads than in 2019. This considerable reduction (16.9%) can likely be attributed to a fall 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, with the number of road fatalities in the EU rising 5.7% (a pattern that was repeated in 2022).

Some key highlights for developments across EU regions:

• the incidence rate of road fatalities fell between 2012 and 2022 in more than 4 out of every 5 regions for which data are available
• leaving aside the only EU region where there were no road fatalities in 2022 – Åland in Finland – the most rapid decline in the incidence of road fatalities between 2012 and 2022 was in the remote Swedish region of Norra Mellansverige (down 62.9%)
• Małopolskie in Poland and Salzburg in Austria also recorded falls of more than 60.0%
• by contrast, there were 37 regions across the EU where the rate of road fatalities increased during the period under consideration
• the highest increases in road fatalities – at least 50.0% – were recorded in Cantabria in Spain, Severen tsentralen in Bulgaria, Voreio Aigaio in Greece, Região Autónoma dos Açores in Portugal and Malta (where the rate more than doubled).

In relative terms, the highest incidence rate of road injuries in 2022 was in the northern Italian region of Liguria, with 6 369 road injuries per million inhabitants. The next highest rates were registered in a group of 5 Austrian regions – Vorarlberg, Tirol, Kärnten, Salzburg and Oberösterreich – which all had between 5 315 and 6 082 road injuries per million inhabitants. There were 7 additional regions across the EU where the incidence rate was higher than 5 000 road injuries per million inhabitants: Algarve in Portugal, Toscana in Italy, Steiermark in Austria, and Weser-Ems, Lüneburg, Hamburg and Schwaben in Germany.

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 and a higher incidence of road injuries in 2022 (2 538 per million inhabitants).

Subject to data availability, the incidence of road injuries fell in the vast majority (163 out of 219) of EU regions between 2012 and 2022 (earlier/later reference periods have been used for some regions).

The incidence rate fell by at least 50.0% during the period under consideration in

• 4 Polish regions – Śląskie, Warmińsko-mazurskie, Podlaskie (2014–22) and Świętokrzyskie (also 2014–22)
• 3 southern regions of the EU – the Greek regions of Dytiki Makedonia and Kriti, as well as Cyprus
• the Irish region of Southern (2014–21)
• the Finnish capital region of Helsinki-Uusimaa.

By contrast, the incidence of road injuries almost quadrupled in Región de Murcia in Spain, while the next highest increase was also registered in Spain, up 87.5% in Canarias.

During the period from 1993 to 2023, the average number of HDDs in the EU followed a clear downward development. At the start of this period, there were 3 375 HDDs per year. Some 3 decades later in 2023, this figure had fallen to 2 821 per year (a decrease of 16.4%). This fall in heating needs may be linked, in part, to rising global temperatures.

In 2023, the EU regions with the highest number of HDDs were in the Nordic countries. This was particularly notable in the northernmost regions of Övre Norrland in Sweden (6 308 HDDs per year) and Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi in Finland (5 818 HDDs per year). In 2023, a building in Övre Norrland would have required almost 70 times as much heating as the same building in the Spanish region of Canarias (which had the lowest number of HDDs, at 93 per year).

Comparing the situation in 1993 with that in 2023, the number of HDDs fell for all 232 regions across the EU for which data are available. The largest decreases were in southern Europe, as

• the number of HDDs more than halved in the Spanish regions of Canarias (down 66.1%) and Ciudad de Ceuta (down 53.4%), as well as the Greek region of Notio Aigaio (down 52.9%)
• there were also considerable falls in the island regions of Cyprus (down 44.9%), Voreio Aigaio in Greece (down 41.6%), Illes Balears in Spain (down 39.9%) and Malta (down 38.5%).

In contrast to the situation for heating, there was an increase in the EU’s average number of CDDs between 1993 and 2023. At the start of this period, the average number of CDDs was 54 per year. Some 3 decades later in 2023, this value had more than doubled to 121 days per year (up 127%).

In 2023, the Mediterranean island regions of Cyprus (780 per year), Malta (751 per year) and Notio Aigaio in Greece (659 per year) had the highest numbers of CDDs. By contrast, all of the regions in Denmark, Ireland, Finland and Sweden recorded less than 10 CDDs per year; this was the case in Estonia, Latvia and Luxembourg too.

A comparison over time (1993–2023) reveals that the number of CDDs rose in all but 1 of the 166 EU regions for which data are available. Values at least doubled in 130 regions. There were 13 regions with no CDDs either in 1993 or 2023, while the Portuguese capital region of Área Metropolitana de Lisboa was the only region within the EU to report a fall in its number of CDDs, down by a single day.

In December 2023, the EU regions with the largest swine populations included Aragón (9.6 million head) and Cataluña (8.1 million) in Spain and Bretagne in France (6.6 million). Data are only available for NUTS level 1 regions in Germany, where the highest counts were in Niedersachsen (7.0 million head) and Nordrhein-Westfalen (5.9 million).

Germany and Spain are the main producers of pig meat in the EU. Their pig farming activities were highly concentrated: as of December 2023, Niedersachsen and Nordrhein-Westfalen together accounted for 60.7% of the swine population in Germany, while Aragón and Cataluña together accounted for 52.3% 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 2023, there were 73.7 million head of bovine animals in the EU. Some 38.4% of the total bovine population of the EU was reared in 1 of 17 regions (each of which had at least 1.0 million head of bovine animals).

The highest regional counts were in Southern (3.5 million) and Northern and Western (1.6 million) in Ireland, Pays-de-la-Loire (2.1 million), Bretagne (1.7 million), Auvergne and Basse-Normandie (both 1.5 million) in France, Lombardia (1.5 million) in Italy, and Castilla y León (1.4 million) in Spain. Data are again only available for NUTS level 1 regions in Germany, where the highest counts of bovine animals were in Bayern (2.8 million) and Niedersachsen (2.3 million).

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 derived dairy products, such as cheese; this was particularly the case in Romania and Italy.

In December 2023, the highest regional counts of sheep were in Extremadura (3.5 million), Castilla-la Mancha (2.2 million) and Castilla y León (2.1 million) in Spain, Sardegna (3.1 million) in Italy, Centru (2.3 million) in Romania, Northern and Western (2.0 million) in Ireland, and Kriti (also 2.0 million) in Greece. Together, these 7 regions – the only regions in the EU with at least 2.0 million head of sheep – accounted for approximately 30% 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 2023, the goat population of the EU was approximately 10.7 million head.

• The highest regional count – 852 000 head – was in Andalucía in Spain. The next highest number was in the Greek island region of Kriti (498 000 head).
• The only other regions in the EU to record more than 300 000 head of goats were 4 more regions in Greece, Dytiki Elláda, Peloponnisos, Kentriki Makedonia and Thessalia; Castilla-la Mancha in Spain; and Poitou-Charentes in France
• Canarias in Spain and Ionia Nisia in Greece were the only regions in the EU where goats accounted for a majority of all livestock; they had 199 000 and 99 000 head of goats, respectively.

Common wheat and spelt was the most frequently grown category of cereals in the EU with 127 million tonnes of harvested production in 2022; this was 46.8% 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 2022, there were 6 regions that had more than 3.0 million tonnes of harvested production of common wheat and spelt: Picardie (4.5 million tonnes), Centre – Val de Loire (4.1 million tonnes) and Champagne-Ardenne (3.1 million tonnes) in France, Vidurio ir vakarų Lietuvos regionas (4.3 million tonnes) in Lithuania, Bayern (3.6 million tonnes) and Niedersachsen (3.1 million tonnes) 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 2022, 53 million tonnes of grain maize and corn-cob mix were harvested in the EU; this was equivalent to 19.6% of the EU’s total cereal production.

The principal regions for the production of grain maize and corn-cob mix were in southern and eastern EU countries. In 2022, the highest levels of output were in Sud-Muntenia (2.0 million tonnes) and Nord-Vest (1.4 million tonnes) in Romania, Aquitaine (1.9 million tonnes) in France, Wielkopolskie (1.4 million tonnes) in Poland, and Castilla y León (1.4 million tonnes) in Spain.

Barley was the 3rd most commonly harvested cereal in the EU, with 52 million tonnes of production in 2022 (19.2% of total cereals output). Barley is generally used as animal fodder and for the manufacture of beer and whisky.

In 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 Nordic regions; in these areas, barley often accounted for more than 50% of all cereals production.

In 2022, the highest levels of barley output were in some of the most prominent cereals producing regions of the EU: Castilla y León (2.3 million tonnes) and Castilla-la Mancha (2.0 million tonnes) in Spain, Centre – Val de Loire (1.9 million tonnes) and Champagne-Ardenne (1.8 million tonnes) in France and Bayern (1.9 million tonnes) 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 2022, the EU’s harvested production of triticale was 11.3 million tonnes (or 4.2% of the EU’s total cereal output). The highest levels of harvested production were in Poland, Germany and France: together they accounted for approximately 80% of the EU’s output. The 5 regions with the highest levels of triticale output were all in Poland: Wielkopolskie (with a peak of 1.0 million tonnes), Mazowiecki regionalny, Łódzkie, Lubelskie and Kujawsko-pomorskie.

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

In 2022, the EU’s harvested production of rye and winter cereal mixtures (maslin) was 7.8 million tonnes (or 2.9% 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 73.1% of the EU’s total output in 2022. The highest levels of regional output were in the German regions of Niedersachsen (911 000 tonnes) and Brandenburg (579 000 tonnes), and the Polish region of Wielkopolskie (509 000 tonnes).

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

In 2022, the total harvested production of durum wheat in the EU was 7.7 million tonnes (or 2.8% of the EU’s total cereal output).

Italy alone accounted for close to half (49.7%) of the EU’s harvested production of durum wheat in 2022, with the highest levels of regional production in Puglia (788 000 tonnes), Sicilia (706 000 tonnes) and Emilia-Romagna (482 000 tonnes). Centre – Val de Loire (476 000 tonnes) in France and Andalucía (466 000 tonnes) in Spain were the only other regions in the EU to record in excess of 400 000 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 2022, the EU’s harvested production of oats was 7.5 million tonnes (or 2.8% of the EU’s total cereal production).

Some 47.7% of the EU’s harvested production of oats in 2022 was concentrated in Poland, Finland and Spain. The highest levels of regional output were in Länsi-Suomi (542 000 tonnes) and Etelä-Suomi (397 000 tonnes) in Finland, Västsverige (336 000 tonnes) and Östra Mellansverige (202 000 tonnes) in Sweden, Castilla-La Mancha (295 000 tonnes) in Spain, Latvia (225 000 tonnes), and Lubelskie (208 000 tonnes) and Mazowiecki regionalny (206 000 tonnes) in Poland.

Although it isn’t 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 2022, the EU harvested 2.1 million tonnes of rice (equivalent to 0.8% of the EU’s total cereal production). Within the EU, the cultivation of rice is concentrated principally in southern regions. In fact, rice was only grown in 8 EU countries, with Italy and Spain together accounting for 75.1% of total production. The highest levels of harvested rice production were in Piemonte (720 000 tonnes) and Lombardia (448 000 tonnes) in Italy, Kentriki Makedonia (196 000 tonnes) in Greece, and Cataluña (131 000 tonnes) in Spain.