Data / Rankings / Employment in services / EU countries

EU countries by employment in services

Luxembourg had the highest employment in services of 27 EU countries in 2021, at 88.8%. Romania had the lowest, at 55.3%. The median was 71.4%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest88.8Luxembourg
Lowest55.3Romania
Median71.427 EU countries

Map of EU countries, 2021

Austria: 70.6 %Belgium: 79.2 %Bulgaria: 63.6 %Cyprus: 79.2 %Czechia: 60.6 %Germany: 71.4 %Denmark: 78.6 %Estonia: 68.3 %Spain: 75.3 %Finland: 74.2 %France: 78 %Greece: 73.4 %Croatia: 64.8 %Hungary: 64.2 %Ireland: 76.1 %Italy: 69.3 %Lithuania: 68.4 %Luxembourg: 88.8 %Latvia: 70.2 %Malta: 80.9 %Netherlands: 83.8 %Poland: 60.2 %Portugal: 72.6 %Romania: 55.3 %Sweden: 79.9 %Slovenia: 65.9 %Slovakia: 60.3 %
  • Under 64
  • 64 to 70
  • 70 to 74
  • 74 to 79
  • 79 and over
%, 2021. 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, 2021

Luxembourg: 88.8 %Luxembourg88.8Netherlands: 83.8 %Netherlands83.8Malta: 80.9 %Malta80.9Sweden: 79.9 %Sweden79.9Cyprus: 79.2 %Cyprus79.2Belgium: 79.2 %Belgium79.2Denmark: 78.6 %Denmark78.6France: 78 %France78Ireland: 76.1 %Ireland76.1Spain: 75.3 %Spain75.3Finland: 74.2 %Finland74.2Greece: 73.4 %Greece73.4Portugal: 72.6 %Portugal72.6Germany: 71.4 %Germany71.4Austria: 70.6 %Austria70.6Latvia: 70.2 %Latvia70.2Italy: 69.3 %Italy69.3Lithuania: 68.4 %Lithuania68.4Estonia: 68.3 %Estonia68.3Slovenia: 65.9 %Slovenia65.9Croatia: 64.8 %Croatia64.8Hungary: 64.2 %Hungary64.2Bulgaria: 63.6 %Bulgaria63.6Czechia: 60.6 %Czechia60.6Slovakia: 60.3 %Slovakia60.3Poland: 60.2 %Poland60.2Romania: 55.3 %Romania55.3Luxembourg: 88.8 %Luxembourg88.8Netherlands: 83.8 %Netherlands83.8Malta: 80.9 %Malta80.9Sweden: 79.9 %Sweden79.9Cyprus: 79.2 %Cyprus79.2Belgium: 79.2 %Belgium79.2Denmark: 78.6 %Denmark78.6France: 78 %France78Ireland: 76.1 %Ireland76.1Spain: 75.3 %Spain75.3Finland: 74.2 %Finland74.2Greece: 73.4 %Greece73.4Portugal: 72.6 %Portugal72.6Germany: 71.4 %Germany71.4Austria: 70.6 %Austria70.6Latvia: 70.2 %Latvia70.2Italy: 69.3 %Italy69.3Lithuania: 68.4 %Lithuania68.4Estonia: 68.3 %Estonia68.3Slovenia: 65.9 %Slovenia65.9Croatia: 64.8 %Croatia64.8Hungary: 64.2 %Hungary64.2Bulgaria: 63.6 %Bulgaria63.6Czechia: 60.6 %Czechia60.6Slovakia: 60.3 %Slovakia60.3Poland: 60.2 %Poland60.2Romania: 55.3 %Romania55.3
%. 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 countries2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Luxembourg88.8-0.2 pts
2Netherlands83.8+1.5 pts
3Malta80.9+0.6 pts
4Sweden79.9-0 pts
5Cyprus79.2+1.5 pts
6Belgium79.2+0.9 pts
7Denmark78.6-0.4 pts
8France78+0.3 pts
9Ireland76.1-0.6 pts
10Spain75.3-0 pts
11Finland74.2-1 pts
12Greece73.4-1.3 pts
13Portugal72.6-0.1 pts
14Germany71.4-0.2 pts
15Austria70.6-0.6 pts
16Latvia70.2+0.4 pts
17Italy69.3-0.3 pts
18Lithuania68.4-0.5 pts
19Estonia68.3+1.1 pts
20Slovenia65.9+0.1 pts
21Croatia64.8-0.9 pts
22Hungary64.2+0.9 pts
23Bulgaria63.6+1.1 pts
24Czechia60.6+0.5 pts
25Slovakia60.3+0.1 pts
26Poland60.2+1.5 pts
27Romania55.3+0.1 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS), EU countries by employment in services, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/eu-countries?period=2021 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_eu_countries_by_employment_2021,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Employment in services (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS): EU countries by employment in services, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/eu-countries?period=2021.
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 88.8% in 2021, according to the World Bank.

Which EU country has the lowest employment in services?

Romania, with 55.3% in 2021.

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