EU regions (NUTS 2) by active companies

Catalonia had the highest active companies of 19 regions in 2020, at 629,876. Ceuta had the lowest, at 3,845. The median was 100,022. Source: the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.

Highest629,876Catalonia
Lowest3,845Ceuta
Median100,02219 regions

All regions, 2020

CSVChart (SVG)

CataloniaCatalonia: 629,876 count629,876Community of MadridCommunity of Madrid: 552,027 count552,027AndalusiaAndalusia: 531,045 count531,045Valencian CommunityValencian Community: 370,645 count370,645GaliciaGalicia: 197,813 count197,813Castile and LeónCastile and León: 160,199 count160,199Canary IslandsCanary Islands: 152,756 count152,756Basque CountryBasque Country: 143,028 count143,028Castilla-La ManchaCastilla-La Mancha: 128,713 count128,713Balearic IslandsBalearic Islands: 100,022 count100,022Region of MurciaRegion of Murcia: 96,764 count96,764AragonAragon: 90,682 count90,682AsturiasAsturias: 68,433 count68,433ExtremaduraExtremadura: 67,336 count67,336NavarreNavarre: 44,430 count44,430CantabriaCantabria: 38,880 count38,880La RiojaLa Rioja: 22,700 count22,700MelillaMelilla: 5,234 count5,234CeutaCeuta: 3,845 count3,845
count. Source: INE. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Full ranking

RankRegions2020
count
Change on 2019
1Catalonia629,876+1.6%
2Community of Madrid552,027+2.1%
3Andalusia531,045+2.4%
4Valencian Community370,645+2%
5Galicia197,813-1.6%
6Castile and León160,199-0.7%
7Canary Islands152,756+0.7%
8Basque Country143,028+0.6%
9Castilla-La Mancha128,713+0.5%
10Balearic Islands100,022+1.3%
11Region of Murcia96,764+1.4%
12Aragon90,682-0.5%
13Asturias68,433-0.3%
14Extremadura67,336-0.5%
15Navarre44,430+0.5%
16Cantabria38,880+0.5%
17La Rioja22,700+0.1%
18Melilla5,234-1.3%
19Ceuta3,845+1.5%

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 629,876 in 2020, according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.

Which region has the lowest active companies?

Ceuta, with 3,845 in 2020.

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