Data / Rankings / Active companies / EU regions (NUTS 2)

EU regions (NUTS 2) by active companies

Catalonia had the highest active companies of 19 regions in 2016, at 596,196. Ceuta had the lowest, at 3,762. The median was 92,008. Source: the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.

Highest596,196Catalonia
Lowest3,762Ceuta
Median92,00819 regions

All regions, 2016

CSVChart (SVG)

CataloniaCatalonia: 596,196 count596,196Community of MadridCommunity of Madrid: 516,412 count516,412AndalusiaAndalusia: 489,347 count489,347Valencian CommunityValencian Community: 344,556 count344,556GaliciaGalicia: 197,538 count197,538Castile and LeónCastile and León: 161,364 count161,364Basque CountryBasque Country: 151,216 count151,216Canary IslandsCanary Islands: 135,909 count135,909Castilla-La ManchaCastilla-La Mancha: 126,421 count126,421Region of MurciaRegion of Murcia: 92,008 count92,008AragonAragon: 90,325 count90,325Balearic IslandsBalearic Islands: 89,341 count89,341AsturiasAsturias: 67,675 count67,675ExtremaduraExtremadura: 65,484 count65,484NavarreNavarre: 43,907 count43,907CantabriaCantabria: 37,696 count37,696La RiojaLa Rioja: 23,076 count23,076MelillaMelilla: 4,349 count4,349CeutaCeuta: 3,762 count3,762
count. Source: INE. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Full ranking

RankRegions2016
count		Change on 2015
1Catalonia596,196+2%
2Community of Madrid516,412+1.5%
3Andalusia489,347+1.9%
4Valencian Community344,556+1.5%
5Galicia197,538+1%
6Castile and León161,364+0.2%
7Basque Country151,216+1.8%
8Canary Islands135,909+2.3%
9Castilla-La Mancha126,421+0.5%
10Region of Murcia92,008+2.2%
11Aragon90,325+0.5%
12Balearic Islands89,341+2.6%
13Asturias67,675+0.3%
14Extremadura65,484+1.6%
15Navarre43,907+1.8%
16Cantabria37,696+1%
17La Rioja23,076-0%
18Melilla4,349+6%
19Ceuta3,762+0.3%

Other periods

About this ranking

Active companies on 1 January (INE Central Business Directory, DIRCE).

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the regions are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). Directorio central de empresas: empresas activas por provincia (tabla 302). https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Tabla.htm?t=302. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

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Questions

Which region has the highest active companies?

Catalonia, with 596,196 in 2016, according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.

Which region has the lowest active companies?

Ceuta, with 3,762 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Directorio central de empresas: empresas activas por provincia (tabla 302). Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Active companies: other rankings

EU regions (NUTS 2): more rankings