Back EU small and medium-sized enterprises: an overview

27 June 2022

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — in other words, enterprises with fewer than 250 persons employed — are often referred to as the backbone of the European economy, providing jobs and growth opportunities. On the occasion of Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day, Eurostat is highlighting data on such enterprises. 

In 2019, the overwhelming majority (98.9%) of EU businesses forming part of the non-financial business economy were micro or small enterprises employing fewer than 50 persons. Their economic weight was lower in terms of their contribution to employment or value added: micro and small enterprises employed just under half (48.4%) of the EU’s non-financial business economy workforce, while they contributed just over one third (35.3%) of the value added.
 

Pie charts: Key business statistics in the non-financial business economy, in %, share of each enterprise size class, EU, 2019

Source dataset: sbs_sc_sca_r2

 

Meanwhile, only 0.9% of EU businesses were medium-sized enterprises with more than 50 but fewer than 250 employees. Medium-sized enterprises employed just over a sixth (16.0%) of the EU’s non-financial business economy workforce, while they contributed around the same share (17.1%) of the value added. 
 

Bar graphs: Value added in the non-financial business economy, %, share of total value added for each enterprise size class, 2019, in the EU and EFTA countries

Source dataset: sbs_sc_sca_r2

 

Among the EU Member States, micro and small enterprises contributed the highest shares of value added in the non-financial business economies of Malta (55.8% of total value added generated by micro and small enterprises), Cyprus (52.9%) and Estonia (52.6%). Meanwhile, medium-sized enterprises contributed the highest shares of value added in Estonia (26.0% of total value added generated by medium enterprises), Latvia and Lithuania (both 25.1%). 


Would you like to know more? 

You can find further information on SMEs and the business economy in Europe in Eurostat’s 2022 edition of Key Figures on European Business — Statistics Illustrated. The update will be released next week. 


Methodological notes: 

  • The European Commission defines SMEs as those enterprises employing fewer than 250 persons that have a turnover of less than 50 million euros and/or a balance sheet total of less than 43 million euros (see Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC)
  • Share of total value added for each enterprise size class: estimated. 
  • Cyprus: data on value added excludes mining and quarrying, electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, real estate activities, and repair of computers and personal and household goods.
  • Portugal: data on value added excludes real estate activities.
  • Austria: 2016 data on value added.
  • The data were extracted in May and June 2022. 


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