Data extracted in April 2026
Planned article update: April 2027
Highlights
In 2024, more than 51 million people in EU and EFTA countries were employed in multinational enterprise groups.
Over 24 000 multinational enterprise groups operating in the EU and EFTA countries were controlled by UK, US or China, reflecting the global integration of the European economy.
This article gives an overview of multinational enterprise groups operating in European Union countries and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries in 2024, according to the data available in the EuroGroups Register (EGR).
In 2024, according to the EGR
- 149 678 multinational enterprise groups operated in EU or EFTA countries.
- They employed over 51 million people – around 30% of the people in the European business economy worked for multinational enterprise groups.
- Most people employed in multinational enterprise groups worked in groups controlled by an EU country (76%), while 6% worked in groups controlled by an EFTA country. Employment was highly concentrated: the majority of people worked in a small number of large groups employing more than 1 000 persons (84%) carrying out more than 5 economic activities (75%) and operating in more than 6 EU or EFTA countries (65%).
The EGR brings together microdata on multinational enterprise groups from the national statistical business registers in EU and EFTA countries, in line with the requirements in Regulation (EU) No 2152/2019, from a commercial data source and complemented by open data sources available online for data outside the EU and EFTA countries.
How many multinational enterprise groups operate in the EU and EFTA countries?
In 2024, the EGR includes
- the structure of control of the 149 678 multinational enterprise groups with activities in the EU or EFTA countries;
- their main economic characteristics (employment, NACE, net turnover and assets);
- their perimeter in terms of legal units (about 1.6 million) and enterprises (544 500 enterprises inside EU or EFTA countries and 609 500 enterprises outside the EU and EFTA countries).
In the EGR, a multinational enterprise group is defined as an enterprise group that operates in at least 2 countries, with one of these being in a EU or EFTA country. Each legal unit in the EGR is identified by a unique identifier (combining a country code and a national identifier), allowing this microdata to be linked with other statistical or administrative data.
The EGR is updated annually, and the microdata are provided to national statistical authorities, national central banks and the European Central Bank for statistical purposes only. On average, about 590 statisticians access the EGR online applications each year.
The number of multinational enterprise groups in EGR slightly decreased by 1% in 2024 compared with 2023. From a longer perspective, this number increased by 17% in 2021 and by 13% in 2024 compared with 2018 levels (see Figure 1). The trend is highly impacted by the variation of groups of a very small size. The increase in 2021 was also due to the implementation of the EBS Regulation (EU) No 2019/2152, which expanded the coverage of legal units.
Who controls the multinational enterprise groups operating in the EU and EFTA countries?
In 2024, 74% of the multinational enterprise groups operating in the EU or EFTA countries were controlled by an EU country (64%) or an EFTA country (9%). Together, they employed 82% of the total workforce of multinational enterprise groups in the EU and EFTA countries.
The remaining 26%, employing 18% of the workforce of these groups, were controlled by countries outside the EU and EFTA area (see Figure 2 and Maps 1 and 2).
Between 2018 and 2024, the distribution of multinational enterprise groups operating in EU or EFTA countries by controlling area is relatively stable (see Figure 3). The EU ranked first accounting for 64% to 66% of the multinational enterprise groups, EFTA accounted for 9% to 10%, and the rest of the world for 23% to 27%.
The control of a multinational enterprise group in the EGR is assigned to the country of the Ultimate Controlling Institutional (UCI) unit.
Map 1: Multinational enterprise groups controlled and operating in EU-EFTA, 2024
Source: Eurostat (egr_mne)
More than 130 countries outside the EU and EFTA areas controlled at least 1 multinational enterprise group operating in the EU or EFTA countries (see Map 2).
Source: Eurostat
According to the EGR, in 2024, the 3 countries outside the EU and EFTA areas that controlled the most multinational enterprise groups in the EU or EFTA countries were:
- the United Kingdom (14 118 multinational enterprise groups)
- the United States (8 003 multinational enterprise groups)
- China including Hong Kong (2 135 multinational enterprise groups)
In 2024, the EGR recorded 376 Russian-controlled multinational enterprise groups operating in EU or -EFTA countries – a 41% decline compared to 2021. These groups employed approximately 18 300 people in EU or EFTA countries, marking a 72% reduction since 2021. Around, 2 9000 multinational enterprise groups operating in EU or EFTA areas maintained at least one legal unit in Russia, reflecting a decrease from a 16% decrease from 2021.
Figure 4 provides a breakdown of employment in multinational enterprise groups in the EU and EFTA by controlling area, i.e. with an ultimate institutional controlling unit (UCI) in the same country, in other EU-EFTA countries or in extra-EU-EFTA countries.
Top sectors of multinational enterprise groups in the EU and EFTA countries
In 2024, multinational enterprise groups operating in the EU and EFTA countries carried out a large variety of economic activities, covering 21 NACE sections and 87 NACE divisions, according to the EGR.
The 5 economic activities with the largest employment at NACE section level are
- manufacturing (33%)
- wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (17%)
- administrative and support service activities (8%)
- financial and insurance activities (8%)
- transporting and storage (8%)
The multinational enterprise groups mainly active in manufacturing employ around 16.5 million people in the EU and EFTA countries. The top 3 activities at NACE division level in terms of employment in EU and EFTA countries (see Figure 5B) are:
- manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailer (2.5 million);
- manufacture of machinery and equipment (2.3 million);
- manufacture of food products (1.6 million).
Manufacturing is the biggest area of activity, at NACE section level, for multinational enterprise groups active in the EU or EFTA areas. However, at a more detailed level 5NACE section), other industries also stand out. For instance, over 10 000 multinational enterprise groups are mainly active in the following areas (see Figure 5C detailing NACE sections):
- wholesale trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles;
- financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding;
- computer programming, consultancy and related activities.
How multinational enterprise groups shape employment in the EU and EFTA counties business economy?
In 2024
- 6% of the largest multinational enterprise groups (employing more than 1 000 persons) operating in the EU and EFTA countries, accounted for 84% of the employment in the MNE groups (employ 84% of the total number of persons employed in the MNE groups in EU and EFTA countries);
- 62% of the smallest multinational enterprise groups (employing fewer than 50 persons), recorded a share of 1% in the total number of persons employed in the multinational enterprise groups in EU and EFTA countries (see Figure 6).
According to the EGR, in 2024, multinational enterprise groups employed more than 51 million people in EU and EFTA countries as compared with 42 million in 2018. The multinational enterprise groups increased their employment in EU and EFTA countries by extending their control on attractive enterprises (e.g. via acquisitions), by creating new jobs in their enterprises, or by creating new enterprises.
In 2024, 30% of people working in the business economy work in a multinational enterprise group and this share is rather stable (see Figure 8). It accounted for around 31% in 2018 and 2019, 32% in 2020, and a slight drop to 28% could be observed in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, a break in series was recorded caused by the extended scope of the NACE sections used for the total employment (i.e. the denominator). Since 2021, the total employment encompassed the employment in the NACE activity sections B to S (excluding O and S94), while before 2021 only the non-financial business economy was covered (NACE sections from B to N excluding K).
Between 2018 and 2024, in the EU and EFTA counties, the percentage of people working in multinational enterprise groups in the total business economy employment remained stable as well, as shown in Figure 8. However, the percent level varies from country to country, ranging from less than 14% in Greece to more than 54% in Luxembourg.
Between 2018 and 2024, the concentration of employment in the largest multinational enterprise groups was high and steady (see Figure 9), the largest MNE groups ranked first, gathering 84% of the persons employed by the MNE groups in EU and EFTA countries.
In 2024, most multinational enterprise groups recorded in the EGR carried out more than one economic activity (61 %)
- 38% carried out only 1 activity (mono-active groups)
- 52% carried out 2-4 economic activities
- 9% carried out more than 5 economic activities.
In the EGR, the diversification of a multinational enterprise group is determined by the number of activities carried out by its enterprises at NACE division level.
Most of the employment (75%) was concentrated in the multinational enterprise groups carrying out more than 5 economic activities (see Figure 10).
Where multinational enterprise groups operate?
In 2024, 59% of the multinational enterprise groups operating in the EU and EFTA have affiliates only within the borders of the EU-EFTA area, while 41% of them also have affiliates in the rest of the world. In 2024, the EGR recorded that
- 4% of multinational enterprise groups active in the EU and EFTA area are present in 6 or more EU and EFTA countries, employing 65% of the people working in multinational enterprise group in the EU and EFTA
- 13% of multinational enterprise groups were present in between 3 and 5 EU and EFTA countries, employing 18% of persons employed
- 82% of multinational enterprise groups were present in fewer than 3 EU and EFTA countries, employing 17% of persons employed (see Figure 11)
In 2024, the EGR recorded around 59 000 multinational enterprise groups controlled by EU or EFTA countries having legal units located in non-EU and non-EFTA countries. Among them
- 13 085 multinational enterprise groups had at least 1 legal unit in the United Kingdom
- 5 895 had a legal unit in the United States (see Map 3)
Source: Eurostat
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Data sources
The EuroGroups register (EGR) database is the source of the above-mentioned multinational enterprise groups data. The EGR is the statistical business register of the EU Member States and EFTA countries for multinational enterprise groups. It produces data in yearly cycles and covers microdata on the groups and their consisting enterprises and legal units.
The EGR aims to register all multinational enterprise groups that have enterprises in EU Member States or EFTA countries, including European and non-European groups. EGR does not cover all-resident enterprise groups – those that consist of enterprises only in 1 country, nor independent enterprises.
However, the EGR final frame includes additional foreign-controlled units. These are either single legal units or all-resident enterprise groups without an identified foreign-controlling parent, where only the residence country of the foreign parent has been delivered to the EGR. Such additional foreign-controlled units are not included in this article.
The EGR microdata help explore the structure and impact of multinational enterprise groups in Europe. We can analyze group size, complexity and employment patterns in European countries, together with their European influence.
The EGR makes it possible to present results from 2 sides: from the multinational enterprise group perspective, based on the country of control of the group, and from the national perspective of the country in which the group is located, irrespective of where the UCI is located.
The EGR is a statistical business register that serves statistical purposes only. Access to EGR data is restricted to national statistical institutes and national central banks that produce official statistics in the EU Member States and EFTA countries.
Context
Globalisation and the increasing complexity of multinational enterprise group activities means it is difficult to produce business statistics and macroeconomic statistics and correctly and consistently reflect MNE group activities in European statistics. To better analyse cross-border transactions of large multinational enterprise groups and correctly record them in statistical business registers, statisticians in the European Statistical System European Statistical System (ESS) and European System of Central Banks (ESCB) need to be able to observe the complete and correct economic structures of multinational enterprise groups.
Explore further
Other articles
Database
- Multinational enterprise groups in EU-EFTA countries by controlling country
- Persons employed in multinational enterprise groups by size class
- Multinational enterprise groups in EU-EFTA countries by controlling country, size class and NACE Rev.2 activity
- Multinational enterprise groups employment by controlling country group size class, NACE Rev. 2 activity and country of work
- Globalisation dashboard
Thematic section
Methodology
- Multinational enterprise groups methodological note
- Methodology on enterprise groups and registers is available in the Business registers Recommendations manual
- Methodology on the compilation of the EuroGroups Register is available in the European business statistics compilers’ manual for EGR
- EuroGroups Register metadata EuroGroups Register metadata
Legislation
- Regulation (EEC) No 696/1993 of 15 March 1993 on the statistical units for the observation and analysis of the production system in the Community (Summary)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 of 30 July 2020 laying down technical specifications and arrangements pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European business statistics repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics