people working at a call center

In 2023, there were around 33.1 million enterprises in the EU, employing 162.2 million people. Those enterprises generated a net turnover of over €38.5 trillion, leading to €10.5 trillion in value added.  

Large enterprises (with more than 249 people employed) represented only 0.2% of the total number of enterprises in the EU’s business economy. However, they employed more than a third of the labour force (37%) and generated around half (49%) of the total value added. 

Medium-sized enterprises (50-249 people employed) constituted a small share of the total number of enterprises (0.8%), employed 15% of the people and generated 16% of the value added. 

The majority, 99%, of the enterprises were micro and small enterprises (0-49 people employed). Together, these enterprises employed almost half of all people employed in the EU’s business economy (48%) and generated 35% of its total value added.  

This information comes from final data on structural business statistics (SBS) for 2023, published by Eurostat today.  

EU business economy by size, 2023 (% of size class, by NACE rev.2). Pie charts by number of enterporises, number of persons employed and value added. Link to full dataset below.

Source dataset: sbs_sc_ovw

Services: highest share in employment and in value added

The services sector generated almost half (49%) of the total value added of the EU’s business economy in 2023, the highest share among the 4 main sectors (industry, trade, services and construction). With 63% of the total number of enterprises, it employed more than half of the business labour force (52%).

The industry sector accounted for 29% of the value added, with only 7% of the total number of enterprises, and around one-fifth of the total employment (21%).

Trade represented 15% of the value added but accounted for 18% of the enterprises and employed 18% of the people. 

Construction enterprises represented 12% of the total number of enterprises but produced only 7% of the total value added. This sector represented 9% of the EU’s business economy employment. 
 

Enterprises, employment and value added by industry, construction, trade and services, 2023 (% in total economy, absolute values, by NACE Rev. 2). Pie charts by number of enterprises, number of employed people and value added. Link to full dataset below.

Source dataset: sbs_sc_ovw

For more information

Methodological notes

  • The term ‘business economy’ is defined as ‘industry’ (definition see below), ‘construction’, ‘distributive trades’ (wholesale and retail trades) and ‘services’ (definition see below), and covers only ‘market producers’. It therefore excludes public administration and defence; compulsory social security; activities of membership organisations.
  • Micro, small, medium-sized and large enterprises in structural business statistics (SBS) are defined on the basis of the number of people employed only. They do not take into account other factors such as turnover and balance sheet totals. Enterprises can belong to larger enterprise groups.
  • The number of ‘people employed’ is the number of employees and self-employed people.
  • In SBS, the term ‘industry’ covers the following sections of the NACE: business enterprises in ‘mining and quarrying’; ‘manufacturing’; ‘electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply’; and ‘water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities’.
  • In SBS, the term ‘services’ covers the following segments of the NACE: business enterprises in sections ‘transportation and storage’; ‘accommodation and food service activities’; ‘information and communication’; ‘financial and insurance activities’; ‘real estate activities’; ‘professional, scientific and technical activities’; ‘administrative and support service activities’; ‘education’; ‘human health and social work activities’; ‘arts, entertainment and recreation’; and divisions ‘repair of computers and personal and household goods’; ‘other personal service activities’.

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