Data / Rankings / Activity rate / EU countries

EU countries by activity rate

The Netherlands had the highest activity rate of 27 EU countries in 2024, at 85.5%. Italy had the lowest, at 66.6%. The median was 77.5% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 75.3%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest85.5Netherlands
Lowest66.6Italy
Median77.527 EU countries
European Union (27)75.3History

All EU countries, 2024

CSVChart (SVG)

NetherlandsNetherlands: 85.5 %85.5SwedenSweden: 83.8 %83.8DenmarkDenmark: 82.4 %82.4EstoniaEstonia: 82.2 %82.2MaltaMalta: 81.8 %81.8GermanyGermany: 80.1 %80.1CyprusCyprus: 79.7 %79.7LithuaniaLithuania: 79.5 %79.5FinlandFinland: 79.4 %79.4HungaryHungary: 78.6 %78.6AustriaAustria: 78.2 %78.2PortugalPortugal: 78 %78IrelandIreland: 77.9 %77.9CzechiaCzechia: 77.5 %77.5LatviaLatvia: 76.7 %76.7SlovakiaSlovakia: 76.6 %76.6SloveniaSlovenia: 75.9 %75.9PolandPoland: 74.7 %74.7SpainSpain: 74.6 %74.6LuxembourgLuxembourg: 74.5 %74.5FranceFrance: 74.4 %74.4BulgariaBulgaria: 74 %74CroatiaCroatia: 71.9 %71.9BelgiumBelgium: 70.8 %70.8GreeceGreece: 70.5 %70.5RomaniaRomania: 67.4 %67.4ItalyItaly: 66.6 %66.6
%. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Netherlands85.50 pts
2Sweden83.8-0.2 pts
3Denmark82.4+1.6 pts
4Estonia82.2+0.6 pts
5Malta81.8+1.1 pts
6Germany80.1+0.3 pts
7Cyprus79.7-0.5 pts
8Lithuania79.5+0.7 pts
9Finland79.4-0.5 pts
10Hungary78.6+0.4 pts
11Austria78.20 pts
12Portugal78+0.4 pts
13Ireland77.9+0.4 pts
14Czechia77.5+0.4 pts
15Latvia76.7+0.1 pts
16Slovakia76.6+0.1 pts
17Slovenia75.9+0.7 pts
18Poland74.7+0.2 pts
19Spain74.6+0.1 pts
20Luxembourg74.5+0.4 pts
21France74.4+0.4 pts
22Bulgaria Series break74+0.1 pts
23Croatia71.9+1.8 pts
24Belgium70.8+0.3 pts
25Greece70.5+1 pts
26Romania67.4+0.6 pts
27Italy66.6-0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Labour force (employed plus unemployed) as a percentage of the population aged 16 and over (Spain, EPA) or 15 to 64 (EU).

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

How to cite

Eurostat. Employment and activity by sex and age, annual data, activity rate 15 to 64 (lfsi_emp_a). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_emp_a/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank EU countries by activity rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"activity_rate","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=activity_rate&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which EU country has the highest activity rate?

The Netherlands, with 85.5% in 2024, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest activity rate?

Italy, with 66.6% in 2024.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Employment and activity by sex and age, annual data, activity rate 15 to 64 (lfsi_emp_a). Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Activity rate: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings