EU businesses generate €10.9 trillion as large companies account for half of value added

Europe’s largest companies account for almost half of the value generated by the EU business economy despite representing only a fraction of its corporate population. Final Eurostat figures for 2024 show that approximately 34 million businesses generated €10.9 trillion in value added and more than €38.7 trillion in net turnover.

Those businesses provided work for 164.5 million people, including both employees and self-employed workers. The figures cover the EU’s market-based business economy, including industry, construction, trade and services, rather than the entire economy. Activities such as public administration and defence are outside the dataset.

Companies employing at least 250 people represented just 0.2% of enterprises but generated 49% of total value added and accounted for 37% of employment. Medium-sized businesses, with between 50 and 249 people employed, represented another 0.8% of companies and produced 16% of value added while providing 15% of employment.

The remaining 99% of enterprises were micro and small businesses employing fewer than 50 people. Together they provided 48% of employment but generated 35% of value added. The figures highlight the different economic weight of Europe’s largest companies compared with the much larger number of smaller businesses operating across the region.

Services were responsible for the largest proportion of economic activity, generating 51% of business value added and employing 53% of the workforce. The sector accounted for 64% of enterprises. Eurostat’s classification covers a wide range of activities, including transport, hospitality, information and communications, finance, professional services and real estate.

Industry produced 28% of value added despite representing only 7% of businesses and 20% of employment. Trade accounted for 15% of value added, 17% of enterprises and 18% of employment, demonstrating a more balanced relationship between company numbers and economic contribution.

Construction shows a markedly different structure. The sector represented 12% of all enterprises but generated only 7% of value added and employed 8% of the workforce. The figures reflect a market spread across a large number of businesses compared with industry, where a much smaller proportion of companies generates a substantially larger share of economic value.

For Europe’s commercial property sector, the data provide a broader indication of where occupier demand and investment capacity originate. Services now account for more than half of business value creation, while the construction industry operates through a comparatively dispersed corporate base. At the same time, the concentration of almost half of EU business value added among the largest companies underlines the economic importance of major corporate occupiers to European office, logistics, industrial and other commercial property markets.