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 2023, at 591,734. Ceuta had the lowest, at 3,369. The median was 97,784. Source: the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.

Highest591,734Catalonia
Lowest3,369Ceuta
Median97,78419 regions

All regions, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

CataloniaCatalonia: 591,734 count591,734AndalusiaAndalusia: 520,870 count520,870Community of MadridCommunity of Madrid: 503,018 count503,018Valencian CommunityValencian Community: 352,990 count352,990GaliciaGalicia: 185,179 count185,179Castile and LeónCastile and León: 148,223 count148,223Canary IslandsCanary Islands: 139,245 count139,245Basque CountryBasque Country: 134,859 count134,859Castilla-La ManchaCastilla-La Mancha: 122,860 count122,860Balearic IslandsBalearic Islands: 97,784 count97,784Region of MurciaRegion of Murcia: 91,290 count91,290AragonAragon: 83,953 count83,953AsturiasAsturias: 64,611 count64,611ExtremaduraExtremadura: 63,094 count63,094NavarreNavarre: 41,152 count41,152CantabriaCantabria: 37,801 count37,801La RiojaLa Rioja: 21,178 count21,178MelillaMelilla: 4,370 count4,370CeutaCeuta: 3,369 count3,369
count. Source: INE. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Full ranking

RankRegions2023
count		Change on 2022
1Catalonia591,734-6.7%
2Andalusia520,870-4.5%
3Community of Madrid503,018-10%
4Valencian Community352,990-5.8%
5Galicia185,179-5.8%
6Castile and León148,223-6%
7Canary Islands139,245-8.3%
8Basque Country134,859-5.6%
9Castilla-La Mancha122,860-5.2%
10Balearic Islands97,784-3.4%
11Region of Murcia91,290-5.9%
12Aragon83,953-6.1%
13Asturias64,611-5.1%
14Extremadura63,094-6.2%
15Navarre41,152-10%
16Cantabria37,801-3%
17La Rioja21,178-6%
18Melilla4,370-10%
19Ceuta3,369-10%

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 591,734 in 2023, according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.

Which region has the lowest active companies?

Ceuta, with 3,369 in 2023.

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