Regions in Europe – 2025 edition

In 2023, some of the lowest crude rates of population change were in southern and eastern EU countries. Dytiki Makedonia – a region in north-western Greece – had the most rapid decline. Its population fell 12.1 per 1 000 inhabitants, principally as a result of negative natural change (in other words, more deaths than births). Severozapaden – a region in north-west Bulgaria – recorded the 2nd largest population decline among EU regions, with a fall of 11.2 per 1 000 inhabitants (entirely driven by negative natural change). This pattern – where natural change was the main contributor to population losses – was common among most EU regions with substantial overall declines.

In 2023, 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, Italy, Hungary and Romania. Many of these regions were characterised as rural and/or remote regions with low fertility rates and a relatively elderly population structure. The lowest crude rate of natural population change was in Severozapaden (a fall of 12.2 per 1 000 inhabitants).

In 2023, Malta had the highest crude rate of population change. Its population increased 38.7 per 1 000 inhabitants, almost entirely due to net inward migration.

Several of the regions with some of the highest rates of population growth in 2023 were capital regions. For example, all of the following capital regions had crude rates of population change that were higher than 10.0 per 1 000 inhabitants:

• Sostinės regionas in Lithuania
• Praha in Czechia
• Comunidad de Madrid in Spain
• Helsinki-Uusimaa in Finland
• Grande Lisboa in Portugal
• Eastern and Midland in Ireland
• Wien in Austria
• Hovedstaden in Denmark.

There was also relatively rapid population growth – at least 10.0 per 1 000 inhabitants – in

• 1 other Czech region (Střední Čechy that encircles the capital region of Praha)
• Hamburg in northern Germany
• the other 2 regions of Ireland (Southern, and Northern and Western)
• the Greek island region of Voreio Aigaio
• 5 more Spanish regions (Cataluña, Comunitat Valenciana, Illes Balears, Región de Murcia and Canarias)
• Mayotte in France
• Flevoland in the Netherlands
• 5 more Portuguese regions (Algarve, Centro, Península de Setúbal, Oeste e Vale do Tejo and Região Autónoma da Madeira)
• this was also the case for Malta, Cyprus and Luxembourg.

In each of these regions, population growth in 2023 was mainly driven by net inward migration. The French outermost region of Mayotte was the only exception, with most of its increasing population resulting from natural change (although it also experienced net inward migration as well). It had the highest crude rate of natural change in the EU, at 29.6 per 1 000 inhabitants.

There were 17 regions across the EU with a median age of at least 50.0 years in 2024. They were:

• the Italian regions of Liguria (which had the highest median age in the EU, at 52.3 years), Sardegna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Piemonte, Molise, Toscana, Umbria and Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste.
• the eastern German regions of Chemnitz, Sachsen-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thüringen and Brandenburg
• the north-western Spanish regions 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 with median ages of 17.7 and 27.3 years, respectively. The next lowest median ages were in the capital regions of Belgium, France and Ireland and the Spanish autonomous region of Ciudad de Melilla.

According to the latest population projections for EU regions (published 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 developments between 2024 and 2050, the median age is projected to increase in 95% of EU regions (223 out of 234 regions for which data are available). Some of the largest increases – within the range of 8.0 to 9.0 years – are projected for 11 different regions across Poland, as well as Malta, Západné Slovensko in Slovakia, the Lithuanian capital region of Sostinės regionas, Extremadura in Spain and the French capital region of Ile-de-France. However, the largest increase is projected for the capital region of Romania, Bucureşti-Ilfov its median age rising from 41.9 to 53.8 years.

By contrast, the only exceptions – with median ages projected to fall – are in Germany and France (4 regions each), as well as single regions from Greece, Finland and Sweden. The largest decrease is projected for Chemnitz in eastern Germany, its median age falling from 52.0 to 50.2 years.

The next set of regional population projections should be released in 2026, with base year 2025.

In 2023, the highest levels of life expectancy at birth were observed for women and were concentrated in Spain. Apart from the very small Finnish archipelago of Åland (88.5 years), there were 8 (predominantly northern) Spanish regions where life expectancy for women was at least 87.0 years, including the capital region of Comunidad de Madrid, which had the 2nd highest level, at 88.3 years. High values were also recorded in the French capital region of Ile-de-France, as well as in the northern Italian regions of Provincia Autonoma di Trento and Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen. More generally, newborn girls in Spanish, French and Italian regions could expect to live longest.

The Spanish capital region of Comunidad de Madrid had the highest life expectancy at birth for men in 2022 (82.4 years). The Italian regions of Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen, Provincia Autonoma di Trento, and the Swedish capital region of Stockholm also recorded life expectancy for men of at least 82.5 years. More generally, newborn boys in Spanish, Italian and Swedish regions could expect to live the longest.

Between 2022 and 2023, 98% of EU regions (232 out of 237 regions for which data are available) recorded an increase in overall life expectancy at birth (for both sexes combined); there were 3 regions in the EU which recorded no change and 2 regions which registered slight falls. The largest increases – of at least 2.0 years – were observed in the French outermost region of La Réunion, the Bulgarian region of Severen tsentralen and the Finnish region of Åland.

The Italian capital region of Lazio, the southern Dutch region of Noord-Brabant and the southern Swedish region of Småland med öarna showed no change in life expectancy at birth between 2022 and 2023. The only regions to record a decline were Ciudad de Melilla in Spain and the northern Dutch region of Groningen; in both cases, the decrease was marginal, at just 0.1 years.

According to the latest population projections for EU regions (made in 2021), overall life expectancy at birth is projected to increase in every region of the EU between 2023 and 2050. The projected increases would add an additional 8.8 and 8.2 years of life for someone born in the French outermost regions of Mayotte and Guyane. By contrast, life expectancy is projected to increase by 2.0 years in the Finnish region of Åland and by 2.5 years in the Spanish capital region of Comunidad de Madrid and the northern Italian region of Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste – the smallest increases among EU regions.

The latest projections suggest that the highest life expectancies at birth 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.

Heart attacks and strokes are among the most common causes of death from diseases of the circulatory system. Diseases of the circulatory system are related, among other factors, to high blood pressure, heart disease and diseases of the veins and arteries. In 2022, the EU’s standardised death rate for diseases of the circulatory system was 336.4 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants.

Severozapaden in north-west Bulgaria had the highest death rate among EU regions for diseases of the circulatory system (1 195.6 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022). This figure was 8.6 times as high as in the French capital region of Ile-de-France (139.1 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 occurs exclusively in men).

In 2022, men were more likely than women to die from cancer. Across the EU, the latest standardised death rates were 305.7 deaths per 100 000 male inhabitants and 184.4 deaths per 100 000 female inhabitants. This pattern was observed in all but 1 of the EU’s regions; the French outermost region of Mayotte was the exception.

The EU’s standardised death rate for cancer (both sexes) was 234.7 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022. The highest death rate was in Dél-Dunántúl in Hungary (339.3 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants), more than twice as high as in the region with the lowest rate, Ciudad de Melilla in Spain (164.2 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants).

In 2022, the EU’s standardised death rate for diseases of the respiratory system – including asthma, influenza and pneumonia – was 72.9 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. Men were almost twice as likely as women to die from these diseases, with 101.5 deaths per 100 000 male inhabitants compared with 54.6 deaths per 100 000 female inhabitants.

Among EU regions, the highest death rate for diseases of the respiratory system was in the Portuguese Região Autónoma da Madeira (172.7 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022). This was 7.6 times as high as the lowest death rate recorded in the Finnish region of Åland (22.9 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants).

Diseases of the respiratory system were often concentrated in regions characterised by volcanic activity, high levels of pollution, or relatively high levels of mining activity. In 2022, the highest death rates were observed in the Portuguese autonomous regions of Maderia and Açores (Portugal), several regions across Romania and Slovakia, as well as the Belgian regions of Prov. Liège and Prov. Hainaut.

In 2022, the EU’s standardised death rate for mental and behavioural disorders – including dementia, disorders due to alcohol and/or drug use, as well as mood, stress-related, personality, behavioural and emotional disorders – was 41.9 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. There was little difference in the death rate between men and women.

The eastern Dutch region of Overijssel had the highest death rate among EU regions for mental and behavioural disorders in 2022 (95.7 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants). The lowest figure was recorded in the Romanian capital region of Bucureşti-Ilfov (0.6 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants).

In 2024, 44.4% of the EU’s working-age population had a medium level of formal education (at most upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education). In 94 out of the 243 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 2024:

• 4 of the 5 were in Czechia, with a peak of 72.4% in Severovýchod
• the other – Západné Slovensko – was in neighbouring Slovakia.

In many regions across eastern EU countries, a majority of the working-age population had a medium level of educational attainment (although lower shares were often recorded for capital regions). Relatively high shares were also recorded across several regions in Germany, Italy and 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.

A 36.1% share of the EU’s working-age population had a tertiary (or high) level of formal education in 2024. There were 23 regions across the EU where at least 50.0% of all working-age people had a high level of education: this group included the capital regions of Poland, Lithuania, Ireland, Sweden, Hungary, Denmark, France, Belgium, Slovakia, Czechia, Croatia, Spain and the Netherlands, as well Luxembourg and Cyprus.

Prov. Brabant wallon and Prov. Vlaams-Brabant (both Belgium), Utrecht in the Netherlands, País Vasco and Comunidad Foral de Navarra in Spain, the Northern and Western and Southern regions of Ireland, and Sydsverige in Sweden were the only other regions in the EU where at least 50.0% of the working-age population had a high level of education in 2024.

In 2024, 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 82.3%. There were 10 regions (out of a total of 212 for which data are available), where this employment rate was at least 94.0%:

• Drenthe (96.8%), Noord-Brabant (94.8%) and Utrecht (94.3%) in the Netherlands.
• Auvergne in France (95.5%)
• Hamburg (94.8%), Oberbayern (94.5%) and Oberpfalz (94.1%) in Germany
• Jihovýchod in Czechia (94.7%)
• the Hungarian capital region of Nyugat-Dunántúl in Hungary (94.3%)
• Západné Slovensko in Slovakia (94.0%).

In relative terms, Italy had the largest spread of employment rates for recent school leavers or university graduates. In 2024, the lowest employment rate in the EU for this cohort was in the southern region of Calabria (40.9%), while the northern region of Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen had a rate that was more than twice as high (89.0%). There was also a relatively large spread of employment rates for recent school leavers or university graduates across French regions.

In 2024, the 2 regions within the EU where the male employment rate was at least 90.0%, were both located in Czechia – the capital region of Praha (91.0%) and the region that encircles the capital, Střední Čechy (90.3%). The 3rd highest rate was also recorded in Czechia, 89.9% in Jihozápad.

Åland in Finland had the highest female employment rate (87.7% in 2024), while there were relatively high female employment rates in the Slovak, Hungarian and Polish capital regions of Bratislavský kraj (84.7%), and Budapest (84.1%), and Warszawski stołeczny (83.5%).

At the other end of the scale, there were 8 regions across the EU where, in 2024, less than 50.0% of all women aged 20–64 years were in employment. A majority (5 out of the 8) were in southern Italy, with the lowest rates in Campania (35.0%), Calabria (35.8%) and Sicilia (37.7%). 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 2024, there were 7 regions in the EU where no more than 65.0% of all men aged 20–64 years were in employment. These included 3 outermost regions of France (with the lowest rate in Guyane at 60.7%), 3 regions in southern Italy (with the lowest rate in Calabria at 61.4%) and the Spanish region of Ciudad de Melilla (61.3%).

The male employment rate in the EU was 80.8% in 2024. This was 10.0 percentage points (pp) higher than the corresponding rate for women (70.8%). This pattern – a higher male than female employment rate – was repeated in all but 4 EU regions. The exceptions were:

• the Finnish regions of Etelä-Suomi, Åland and Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi where the female employment rate was, respectively, 2.5 pp, 2.5 pp and 0.8 pp higher than the corresponding male rate
• the Croatian capital region of Grad Zagreb, where the female employment rate was 1.0 pp higher.

In 2024, there were 20 regions across the EU where the employment gender gap (with a higher rate for men) was at least 20.0 pp. These regions were predominantly located in Greece, Italy and Romania, but also included the Spanish region of Ciudad de Ceuta. The central Greek region of Sterea Elláda recorded the largest employment gender gap: its male employment rate was 84.7%, which was 31.2 pp higher than its female rate (53.5%).

At the other end of the range, the smallest employment gender gaps – less than 5.0 pp in 2024 – were mainly concentrated across regions in Belgium, Germany, France, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and the Baltic countries.

In 2024, the highest regional unemployment rates across the EU were in:

• the Spanish regions of Ciudad de Melilla (28.3%), Ciudad de Ceuta (27.5%), Andalucía (16.5%) and Extremadura (15.5%)
• the French outermost regions of La Réunion (17.3%), Guyane (17.0%) and Guadeloupe (16.8%)
• the western Greek region of Ionia Nisia (16.2%)
• the southern Italian region of Campania (15.6%).

By contrast, the unemployment rate was no higher than 2.0% across 4 different regions of the EU:

• Střední Čechy and Praha in Czechia
• Niederbayern in southern Germany
• Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen in northern Italy.

The EU youth unemployment rate (for people aged 15–29 years) stood at 11.4% in 2024, almost twice as high as the overall unemployment rate (for people aged 15–74 years). The youth unemployment rate was higher than the overall rate in every region of the EU.

In 2024, the youth unemployment rate was at least 3.0 times as high as the overall unemployment rate in the following regions:

• the French island region of Corse (4.3 times as high)
• the southern Italian regions of Abruzzo (3.1) and Molise (3.0)
• the northern Belgian regions of Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen (3.0) and Prov. West-Vlaanderen (3.0)
• the Czech capital region of Praha (3.0)
• the Romanian region of Nord-Vest (3.0)

By contrast, the smallest relative differences in 2024 between youth and overall unemployment rates were observed in the following regions:

• the capital regions of Région de Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest in Belgium, Yugozapaden in Bulgaria, Berlin in Germany and Wien in Austria
• the German regions of Hamburg, Münster and Düsseldorf
• the Greek region of Dytiki Makedonia
• the Spanish region of Ciudad de Melilla.

In each of these 9 regions, the youth unemployment rate was no more than 1.4 times as high as the overall unemployment rates.

In 2024, the highest youth unemployment rates tended to be recorded in regions that exhibited the highest overall unemployment rates. There were 6 regions where the youth unemployment rate was at least 30.0%:

• the Spanish autonomous cities of Ciudad de Ceuta (41.5%) and Ciudad de Melilla (40.5%)
• Ionia Nisia in Greece (33.7%)
• Calabria (31.4%) and Campania (30.3%) in southern Italy
• Corse in France (31.2%).

In 2024, there were 4.2 million people in the EU without a job who had been actively seeking work for at least 12 months; the long-term unemployment rate was 1.9%. There were 3 regions across the EU that recorded double-digit long-term unemployment rates:

• the Spanish autonomous cities of Ciudad de Melilla (16.3%) and Ciudad de Ceuta (15.8%)
• the French outermost region of Guadeloupe (11.4%)

In 46 out of the 184 EU regions for which data are available in 2024, the long-term unemployment rate was less than 1.0%. These regions were mainly concentrated in Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Poland. The lowest rates were recorded in Praha and Střední Čechy in Czechia and Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands (all 0.4%).

In 2019, the share of people in the EU using the internet daily was 77.0%. This share increased every year thereafter, rising 11.4 percentage points (based on unrounded data) to 88.3% by 2024. 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 Romania.

By contrast, it was already common in 2019 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 2019 and 2024. There were 7 regions where daily internet use fell during this period: 4 of them were in Germany and the other 3 in Finland, with the largest fall in the Finnish capital region of Helsinki-Uusimaa.

In 2024, 71.8% of people in the EU bought or ordered goods or services over the internet during the 12 months prior to the survey. The Dutch region of Utrecht had the highest regional share, at 96.3%. More generally, there was a high propensity for online shopping, with at least 90.0% of people using e-commerce, in:

• every region of Ireland and the Netherlands
• Midtjylland, Hovedstaden and Nordjylland in Denmark
• Östra Mellansverige and Sydsverige in Sweden
• the Czech capital region of Praha

At the lower end of the range, there were 4 regions where fewer than 40.0% of people bought/ordered goods or services over the internet in 2024. They included the southern Italian regions of Calabria (35.7%) and Sicilia (39.7%), the French outermost region of Guadeloupe (37.4%) and the Bulgarian region of Yugoiztochen (39.3%).

In 2024, 67.2% 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. This was also the case in the Czech capital region of Praha and the Northern and Western region of Ireland. The highest shares were recorded in the Dutch regions of Utrecht (98.3%) and Groningen (98.0%), as well as the Danish capital region of Hovedstaden (98.2%).

By contrast, in every region of Bulgaria and Romania – except the capital regions of Yugozapaden and Bucureşti-Ilfov – fewer than 1 in 3 people made use of internet banking in 2024. The southern Italian region of Calabria was the only other region in the EU to report a share below 33%.

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

In 2024, 64.8% of people aged 16–74 years in the EU participated in social networks during the 3 months prior to the latest survey. The highest share was recorded in the Danish region of Nordjylland (91.5%). There were 5 other regions with shares of at least 85.0%: the 4 remaining Danish regions and Cyprus. Despite relatively low levels of internet access, many eastern regions of the EU reported quite high levels of participation in social networks.

Subject to data availability, there were 4 regions across the EU where the share of people participating in social networks was less than 50.0% in 2024:

• Brandenburg (43.3%), Thüringen (45.1%) and Sachsen (49.1%) in eastern Germany
• Calabria (48.0%) in southern Italy.

More generally, relatively low levels of participation were observed across a majority of regions in Germany, Italy, Poland and Slovakia.

In relative terms, based on GDP per inhabitant (which is GDP divided by the resident population), the picture is different, since this approach removes the influence of regional population size. To adjust for price level differences across countries, GDP per inhabitant is expressed in an artificial common currency known as a purchasing power standard (PPS). These figures tend to show less variation than those based on euro values, as regions or countries with high GDP per inhabitant in euro terms also tend to have relatively high price levels.

In 2023, the 3 regions with the highest levels of GDP per inhabitant were the Irish regions of Eastern and Midland (93 300 PPS per inhabitant) and Southern (85 700 PPS), separated by Luxembourg (90 300 PPS). 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 share of the economic output being generated by cross-border commuters.

There were 11 other EU regions where GDP per inhabitant was at least 60 000 PPS. These included the capital regions of Czechia, Belgium, Romania, the Netherlands, Hungary, Denmark and France, as well as Hamburg and Oberbayern in Germany, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen in Italy and Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing remain important activities in predominantly rural regions, especially within southern and eastern EU countries. Many of the regions with relatively high shares of agriculture, forestry and fishing activity are characterised by expansive rural landscapes and plains.

There were 9 EU regions where agriculture, forestry and fishing accounted for at least 10.0% of total gross value added in 2022.

• The eastern French region of Champagne-Ardenne had the highest share (12.7%).
• 4 of the remaining 8 regions were in Greece, with the highest share in Thessalia (11.7%).
• The others were Panonska Hrvatska in Croatia (11.6%), Mazowiecki regionalny in Poland (10.4%), Alentejo in Portugal (10.3%) and Dél-Dunántúl in Hungary (10.0%).

The Southern region of Ireland and Yugoiztochen in Bulgaria were the only regions in the EU where a majority of total value added in 2022 was generated by industry and construction, with shares of 70.9% and 50.8%, respectively. The Southern region of Ireland 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.

The next highest shares for industry and construction in 2022 were recorded in Sterea Elláda in Greece (46.8%), Mazowiecki regionalny in Poland (44.6%), Észak-Magyarország in Hungary (43.5%), Niederbayern in Germany (42.4%) and Śląskie in Poland (42.1%). More generally, several regions across eastern EU countries had notable shares. Many of these were characterised by 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 – 91.9% of total value added in 2022 came from services. The services sector accounted for at least 85.0% of total value added in 7 additional capital regions: Grande Lisboa in Portugal, Ile-de-France in France, Noord-Holland in the Netherlands, Berlin in Germany, Wien in Austria, Comunidad de Madrid in Spain and Attiki in Greece; Luxembourg, Cyprus and Malta also reported shares above this level.

In 2022, services also accounted for at least 85.0% of total value added in 12 other regions across the EU. Several of these regions were popular tourist destinations: Ionia Nisia and Notio Aigaio in Greece, Região Autónoma da Madeira and Algarve in Portugal, Canarias in Spain and 3 of the outermost regions of France. This group also included Prov. Vlaams-Brabant in Belgium, Utrecht in the Netherlands and the 2 autonomous Spanish cities.

In 2021, 50 out of the 213 regions for which data are available had a ratio of R&D intensity above the EU average of 2.2%. The German regions of Stuttgart (6.8%) and Braunschweig (6.1%) had the highest ratios, while 2 additional German regions – Tübingen (5.5%) and Karlsruhe (5.4%) – as well as Västsverige in Sweden (5.3%) and Steiermark in Austria (5.2%) also reported ratios above 5.0%.

At the other end of the scale, 5 regions reported R&D intensity of 0.3% or below. This group included 4 regions in Romania and the autonomous Spanish region of Ciudad de Ceuta. The Romanian regions of Sud-Est and Sud-Vest Oltenia recorded the lowest ratios in the EU, 0.1% and 0.1%, respectively.

A closer look at the composition of R&D personnel in 2021 reveals the following patterns.

• 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 which recorded shares of 3.0% or higher: 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.
• 6 EU regions reported R&D personnel in the higher education sector accounting for at least 2.0% of total employment. They included the capital regions of Wien (Austria), Bratislavský kraj (Slovakia), Grad Zagreb (Croatia) and Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest  (Belgium); they were joined by the Greek regions of Ipeiros and Dytiki Elláda.
• R&D personnel in the government sector accounted for at least 1.0% of total employment in the capital regions of Praha (Czechia), Bratislavský kraj (Slovakia), Attiki (Greece), Grad Zagreb (Croatia) and Budapest (Hungary), together with Kriti (Greece) and Bremen (Germany).

In 2024, the 3 EU regions with the highest numbers of nights spent in tourist accommodation by domestic tourists were all in France: the capital region of Ile-de-France (39.6 million), Rhône-Alpes (38.2 million) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (38.0 million). There were 4 more French regions – Languedoc-Roussillon, Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire and Bretagne – among the 15 EU regions that had more than 20.0 million nights spent by domestic tourists.

Andalucía had the highest number of nights spent (35.4 million in 2024) by domestic tourists in Spain (and the 4th highest number in the EU), while Schleswig-Holstein (32.5 million) had the highest number in Germany (5th highest in the EU) and Emilia-Romagna (28.6 million) in Italy (10th highest in the EU).

In relative terms, domestic tourists accounted for 96.7% of the 29.6 million nights spent in the northern German region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in 2024; this was the highest share among EU regions with more than a million nights spent in tourist accommodation. Subject to this threshold, there were 3 other regions in the EU where domestic tourists accounted for at least 95.0% of all nights spent: Sud-Est (96.5%) and Sud-Vest (95.8%) in Romania and Kujawsko-pomorskie (95.0%) in Poland.

In 2023 and 2024, the number of people travelling abroad for tourism had largely recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, with restrictions lifted for all destinations/tourists. The EU regions with the highest numbers of nights spent by foreign tourists in 2024 were the Spanish island regions of Canarias (87.2 million) and Illes Balears (66.6 million), separated by the Croatian coastal region of Jadranska Hrvatska (81.3 million).

There were 13 more regions across the EU which reported more than 20.0 million nights spent by foreign tourists in 2024: 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 65 regions (out of 244 for which data are available, or 26.6%) 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 8 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 (94.4%), Ionia Nisia (93.5%) and Notio Aigaio (92.2%), Malta (93.7%), Cyprus (92.5%), Jadranska Hrvatska (92.0%) and Tirol (90.8%) and Illes Balears (90.2%).

Tourism intensity – defined as the ratio of nights spent in tourist accommodation per 1 000 inhabitants – was 6 725 across the EU in 2024. 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 84 (34.4%) of the 244 regions for which data are available.

There were 7 regions in the EU where the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation per 1 000 inhabitants was greater than 50 000 in 2024:

• the Greek island regions of Notio Aigaio, Ionia Nisia and Kriti – the 1st of these had the highest ratio of tourism intensity, at 126 817 nights spent per 1 000 inhabitants
• the Alpine region of Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen in Italy and Tirol in Austria
• 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 2024, there was an average of 715 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 2024, 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 (45 500), Wien in Austria (43 800), Praha in Czechia (36 900), Malta (35 800) and Berlin in Germany (34 100).

The predominantly urban region of Hamburg in Germany (21 300), the capital regions of Hungary, Portugal and the Netherlands – Budapest (20 800), Grande Lisboa (14 300) and Noord-Holland (11 800) – as well as the year-round destinations of Illes Balears (14 800), Canarias (13 400) and Região Autónoma da Madeira (11 900), were the only other regions where the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation was greater than 10 000 per km² in 2024.

These figures are influenced to some extent by the administrative boundaries delineating each region. For example, the Belgian capital region of Région de Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest covers an area of 162 km². By contrast, the French capital region of Ile-de-France – the EU’s 4th most frequented tourist destination – had a considerably larger area, at 12 070 km², although a large share of its tourists stay within the much smaller city of Paris (105 km²).

In contrast to air passenger transport, the COVID-19 crisis had a more limited impact on the quantity of air freight and mail loaded and unloaded. Across the EU, there was a modest decline in 2020 to 12.4 million tonnes, but by 2021 the quantity of freight and mail already surpassed its pre-pandemic peak, reaching 15.0 million tonnes. During 2022 and 2023, the quantity of air freight and mail loaded and unloaded declined somewhat; it stood at 13.1 million tonnes in 2023.

The regional distribution of air freight and mail is concentrated in some of the most densely populated regions of western EU countries, where an extensive motorway network enables freight forwarders to reach a critical mass of clients efficiently.

Some main findings:

• in 2023, the quantity of air freight and mail loaded and unloaded in the EU equated to an average of 29.3 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 those with the highest numbers of air passengers: Ile-de-France (2.0 million tonnes), Darmstadt (1.9 million tonnes) and Noord-Holland (1.4 million tonnes)
• other regions with high quantities included Leipzig in Germany (also 1.4 million tonnes), Prov. Liège in Belgium (0.9 million tonnes), Köln in Germany (0.9 million tonnes) and Luxembourg (0.8 million tonnes); the first 3 are major logistics hubs for international courier services, while Luxembourg is home to 1 of the world’s largest cargo airlines.

In 2023, there were 20 617 road fatalities in the EU, a decrease of 1.4% compared with the previous year. This marked a partial reversal of post-pandemic developments, following increases of 5.7% in 2021 and 3.6% in 2022. Looking at the longer-term trend, the total number of road fatalities in the EU declined overall by 15.4% between 2013 and 2023.

Key highlights for developments across EU regions.

• The incidence rate of road fatalities fell between 2013 and 2023 in approximately 7 out of every 10 regions for which data are available.
  • Leaving aside the only EU regions where there were no road fatalities in 2023 – Ciudad de Melilla (Spain) and Åland (Finland) – the most rapid decline was observed in the Belgian capital region of Région de Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, where the incidence rate fell by 76.2% between 2013 and 2023.
  • 4 other regions in Belgium – Prov. Namur, Prov. Luxembourg, Prov. Vlaams-Brabant and Prov. Limburg – also recorded declines of at least 50.0%.
  • A similar pattern was observed in Denmark, where the incidence of road fatalities fell by more than 50.0% in Nordjylland and in Syddanmark; this was also the case in Luxembourg and in the German region of Oberfranken.
• By contrast, 56 regions across the EU recorded an increase in their incidence of road fatalities during the same period.
  • The highest increases – of more than 50.0% – were observed in Friesland (the Netherlands), Severozapaden (Bulgaria), Algarve (Portugal) and Extremadura (Spain).

Excluding the atypical autonomous regions of Ciudad de Melilla (6 210 road injuries per million inhabitants) and Ciudad de Ceuta (5 699), the highest incidence rate of road injuries in 2023 was recorded in the northern Italian region of Liguria, with 6 092 road injuries per million inhabitants. The next highest rates were registered in a group of 5 Austrian regions – Tirol, Salzburg, Vorarlberg, Kärnten and Oberösterreich – all of which recorded between 5 455 and 6 063 road injuries per million inhabitants.

There were 10 additional regions across the EU where the incidence rate was at least 5 000 road injuries per million inhabitants in 2023:

• Weser-Ems, Hannover, Lüneburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Schwaben, Hamburg and Bremen (all Germany)
• Algarve (Portugal)
• Toscana (Italy)
• Steiermark (Austria).

As with road fatalities, there was a marked fall in the number of road injuries in the EU in 2020, likely reflecting lower road transport activity during the COVID-19 crisis. This was followed by a partial rebound in 2021 and a higher incidence of road injuries in 2022 and 2023, when the rate reached 2 521 injuries 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).

Subject to data availability, the incidence of road injuries fell in a majority of EU regions (140 out of 203) between 2013 and 2023. The incidence rate fell by at least 50.0% in:

• the Greek regions of Dytiki Makedonia and Peloponnisos
• Cyprus
• the Polish regions of Śląskie and Warmińsko-mazurskie
• the Finnish region of Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi.

By contrast, the incidence of road injuries more than trebled in Región Región de Murcia (Spain), while the next highest increase was registered in Voreio Aigaio (Greece), up 89.3%.

During the period from 1994 to 2024, the average number of HDDs in the EU followed a clear downward development. At the start of this period, there were 3 147 HDDs per year. Some 3 decades later in 2024, this figure had fallen to 2 698 per year (an overall decrease of 14.3%). This fall in heating needs may be linked, in part, to rising global temperatures.

In 2024, the EU regions with the highest number of HDDs were in the Nordic countries. This was particularly notable in the northernmost regions of Sweden: Övre Norrland (5 854 HDDs per year) and Mellersta Norrland (5 145 HDDs per year). In 2024, a building in Övre Norrland would have required almost 170 times as much heating as the same building in the Spanish region of Canarias (which had the lowest number of HDDs, at 35 per year).

Comparing the situation in 1994 with that in 2024, the number of HDDs fell for all 229 regions across the EU for which data are available. The largest decreases were in southern Europe, as:

• the number of HDDs fell by more than 50.0% in the Spanish regions of Canarias (down 83.9%) and Ciudad de Ceuta (down 64.5%), as well as the Greek region of Notio Aigaio (down 50.5%)
• there were also considerable falls in Ciudad de Melilla in Spain (down 38.0%), as well as in the island regions of Illes Balears (Spain; down 39.3%), Malta (down 37.6%), Cyprus (down 37.5%) and Voreio Aigaio (Greece; down 35.9%).

In contrast to the situation for heating, the EU’s average number of CDDs increased between 1994 and 2024. At the start of this period, the average was 95 CDDs per year. By 2024, this had risen to 142 days per year, an increase of almost 50%.

In 2024, the highest numbers of CDDs were recorded in the Mediterranean island regions of Cyprus (1 011 per year) and Malta (804), separated by the Greek capital region of Attiki (841). By contrast, all of the regions in Denmark, Ireland, Finland and Sweden recorded fewer than 10 CDDs per year; this was also the case in Estonia, Latvia and Luxembourg.

A comparison over time (1994 to 2024) reveals that the number of CDDs at least doubled in 43 EU regions, with the largest relative increases (sometimes from particularly low levels) recorded in:

• Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste (Italy), where the number of CDDs was 8.3 times as high in 2024
• Galicia (Spain; 7.2 times as high)
• Dytiki Makedonia (Greece; 5.3 times as high)
• Centru (Romania; 5.1 times as high).

In December 2024, the EU regions with the largest swine populations included Aragón (9.9 million head) and Cataluña (8.0 million) in Spain and Bretagne in France (6.5 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 2024, Niedersachsen and Nordrhein-Westfalen together accounted for 60.7% of the swine population in Germany, while Aragón and Cataluña together accounted for 51.9% in Spain.

Denmark was also relatively specialised in the production of pig meat, with its largest swine population in Midtjylland (4.1 million head).

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 2024, there were 71.9 million head of bovine animals in the EU. Some 38.3% 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 (3.4 million), Northern and Western (1.6 million) and Eastern and Midland (1.4 million) in Ireland, Pays-de-la-Loire (2.1 million), Bretagne (1.7 million), Auvergne (1.5 million) and Basse-Normandie (1.4 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 (2.7 million) and Niedersachsen (2.2 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, Kriti (2.4 million) in Greece and Centru (2.3 million) in Romania. Together, these 6 regions – the only regions in the EU with at least 2.0 million head of sheep – accounted for more than 25.0% of the EU’s total sheep population.

It’s 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 (553 000 head).
• The only other regions in the EU to record more than 300 000 head of goats were 3 more regions in Greece, Dytiki Elláda, Peloponnisos and Kentriki Makedonia, Sud-Est in Romania, Poitou-Charentes in France and Castilla-la Mancha in Spain.
• Canarias in Spain was the only region in the EU where goats accounted for a majority of all livestock, with 199 000 head of goats..

Common wheat and spelt was the most frequently grown category of cereals in the EU with 126 million tonnes of harvested production in 2023; this was 46.3% 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 2023, there were 5 regions that had more than 3.0 million tonnes of harvested production of common wheat and spelt: Picardie (4.4 million tonnes), Centre – Val de Loire (4.3 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) 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 2023, 61 million tonnes of grain maize and corn-cob mix were harvested in the EU; this was equivalent to 22.5% 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 2023, the highest levels of output were in Aquitaine (2.5 million tonnes) in France, Sud-Muntenia (1.7 million tonnes) and Nord-Est (1.6 million tonnes) in Romania, Lombardia (1.5 million tonnes) in Italy and Wielkopolskie (also 1.5 million tonnes) in Poland.

Barley was the 3rd most commonly harvested cereal in the EU, with 47 million tonnes of production in 2023 (17.4% 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 2023, the highest levels of barley output were in some of the most prominent cereals producing regions of the EU: Centre – Val de Loire (2.2 million tonnes) and Champagne-Ardenne (1.9 million tonnes) in France, Bayern (1.9 million tonnes) in Germany and Castilla y León (1.4 million tonnes) in Spain.

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 2023, the EU’s harvested production of triticale was 10.9 million tonnes (or 4.0% 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 4 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.

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

In 2023, 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 75.0% of the EU’s total output in 2023. The highest levels of regional output were in the German regions of Niedersachsen (896 000 tonnes) and Brandenburg (570 000 tonnes), and the Polish region of Wielkopolskie (569 000 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 2023, the total harvested production of durum wheat in the EU was 7.6 million tonnes (or 2.8% of the EU’s total cereal output).

Italy alone accounted for 50.1% of the EU’s harvested production of durum wheat in 2023, with the highest levels of regional production in Sicilia (835 000 tonnes), Puglia (828 000 tonnes) and Emilia-Romagna (416 000 tonnes). Centre – Val de Loire (406 000 tonnes) in France was the only other region in the EU to record more than 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 2023, the EU’s harvested production of oats was 5.9 million tonnes (or 2.2% of the EU’s total cereal production).

Some 50.7% of the EU’s harvested production of oats in 2023 was concentrated in Poland, Finland and Spain. The highest levels of regional output were in Länsi-Suomi (463 000 tonnes) and Etelä-Suomi (331 000 tonnes) in Finland, Lubelskie (219 000 tonnes) and Mazowiecki regionalny (200 000 tonnes) in Poland, and Latvia (200 000 tonnes).

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’s a net importer of long grain (indica) rice.

In 2023, the EU harvested 2.2 million tonnes of rice (equivalent to 0.8% of its 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 76.6% of total production. The highest levels of harvested rice production were in Piemonte (757 000 tonnes) and Lombardia (548 000 tonnes) in Italy, Kentriki Makedonia (174 000 tonnes) in Greece, and Cataluña (112 000 tonnes) in Spain; no other region in the EU recorded more than 100 000 tonnes of output.