EU countries by employment in services

Luxembourg had the highest employment in services of 27 EU countries in 2015, at 86.3%. Romania had the lowest, at 52.2%. The median was 71%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest86.3Luxembourg
Lowest52.2Romania
Median7127 EU countries

Map of EU countries, 2015

Austria: 69.7 %Belgium: 77.4 %Bulgaria: 62.9 %Cyprus: 79.8 %Czechia: 59 %Germany: 71 %Denmark: 78.1 %Estonia: 64.7 %Spain: 75.7 %Finland: 74.5 %France: 76.9 %Greece: 72.4 %Croatia: 64.2 %Hungary: 64.8 %Ireland: 76.6 %Italy: 69.6 %Lithuania: 65.9 %Luxembourg: 86.3 %Latvia: 68.4 %Malta: 78.6 %Netherlands: 81.3 %Poland: 57.9 %Portugal: 71.9 %Romania: 52.2 %Sweden: 79.7 %Slovenia: 64.8 %Slovakia: 60 %
  • Under 64
  • 64 to 69
  • 69 to 74
  • 74 to 78
  • 78 and over
%, 2015. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2015

Luxembourg: 86.3 %Luxembourg86.3Netherlands: 81.3 %Netherlands81.3Cyprus: 79.8 %Cyprus79.8Sweden: 79.7 %Sweden79.7Malta: 78.6 %Malta78.6Denmark: 78.1 %Denmark78.1Belgium: 77.4 %Belgium77.4France: 76.9 %France76.9Ireland: 76.6 %Ireland76.6Spain: 75.7 %Spain75.7Finland: 74.5 %Finland74.5Greece: 72.4 %Greece72.4Portugal: 71.9 %Portugal71.9Germany: 71 %Germany71Austria: 69.7 %Austria69.7Italy: 69.6 %Italy69.6Latvia: 68.4 %Latvia68.4Lithuania: 65.9 %Lithuania65.9Hungary: 64.8 %Hungary64.8Slovenia: 64.8 %Slovenia64.8Estonia: 64.7 %Estonia64.7Croatia: 64.2 %Croatia64.2Bulgaria: 62.9 %Bulgaria62.9Slovakia: 60 %Slovakia60Czechia: 59 %Czechia59Poland: 57.9 %Poland57.9Romania: 52.2 %Romania52.2Luxembourg: 86.3 %Luxembourg86.3Netherlands: 81.3 %Netherlands81.3Cyprus: 79.8 %Cyprus79.8Sweden: 79.7 %Sweden79.7Malta: 78.6 %Malta78.6Denmark: 78.1 %Denmark78.1Belgium: 77.4 %Belgium77.4France: 76.9 %France76.9Ireland: 76.6 %Ireland76.6Spain: 75.7 %Spain75.7Finland: 74.5 %Finland74.5Greece: 72.4 %Greece72.4Portugal: 71.9 %Portugal71.9Germany: 71 %Germany71Austria: 69.7 %Austria69.7Italy: 69.6 %Italy69.6Latvia: 68.4 %Latvia68.4Lithuania: 65.9 %Lithuania65.9Hungary: 64.8 %Hungary64.8Slovenia: 64.8 %Slovenia64.8Estonia: 64.7 %Estonia64.7Croatia: 64.2 %Croatia64.2Bulgaria: 62.9 %Bulgaria62.9Slovakia: 60 %Slovakia60Czechia: 59 %Czechia59Poland: 57.9 %Poland57.9Romania: 52.2 %Romania52.2
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2015 (%)Change on 2014
1Luxembourg86.3-1.1 pts
2Netherlands81.3-0.4 pts
3Cyprus79.8+0.7 pts
4Sweden79.7+0.3 pts
5Malta78.6+0.5 pts
6Denmark78.1-0.1 pts
7Belgium77.40 pts
8France76.9+0.3 pts
9Ireland76.6-0.7 pts
10Spain75.7-0.8 pts
11Finland74.5+1.6 pts
12Greece72.4+0.6 pts
13Portugal71.9+0.3 pts
14Germany71+0.5 pts
15Austria69.7+0.3 pts
16Italy69.6+0.2 pts
17Latvia68.4-0.2 pts
18Lithuania65.9-0.3 pts
19Hungary64.8-0.1 pts
20Slovenia64.8+1.6 pts
21Estonia64.7-1.3 pts
22Croatia64.2+0.5 pts
23Bulgaria62.9-0.2 pts
24Slovakia600 pts
25Czechia59-0.2 pts
26Poland57.9+0.5 pts
27Romania52.2+3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People employed in services (ISIC Rev. 4 sections G to U), including trade, transport, hotels and restaurants, finance, public administration, education and health, as a percentage of total employment. ILO modelled estimates, ages 15 and over.

ILO modelled estimates: model outputs that fill years without a survey, not survey results. The latest year is a nowcast and is revised as surveys arrive. Sectors follow ISIC; where a country counts the armed forces, they are in services.

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

World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

World Bank. (2026). Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS) (EU countries by employment in services, 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS

MLA 9

Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS), EU countries by employment in services, 2015. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/eu-countries?period=2015. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

World Bank. 2026. Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). EU countries by employment in services, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/eu-countries?period=2015.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS), EU countries by employment in services, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/eu-countries?period=2015 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_eu_countries_by_employment_2015,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Employment in services (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS): EU countries by employment in services, 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/eu-countries?period=2015. Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Employment in services (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - World Bank
TI  - Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS): EU countries by employment in services, 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
PB  - World Bank
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/eu-countries?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/eu-countries?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest employment in services?

Luxembourg, with 86.3% in 2015, according to the World Bank.

Which EU country has the lowest employment in services?

Romania, with 52.2% in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Employment in services: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings