Data / Rankings / Enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation / EU countries

EU countries by enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation

France had the highest enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation of 27 EU countries in 2022, at 12,104. Luxembourg had the lowest, at 66. The median was 1,862 and the figure for the European Union (27) was 81,486. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest12,104France
Lowest66Luxembourg
Median1,86227 EU countries
European Union (27)81,486History

Map of EU countries, 2022

Austria: 2,835 countBelgium: 1,540 countBulgaria: 783 countCyprus: 254 countCzechia: 7,115 countGermany: 9,838 countDenmark: 2,361 countEstonia: 308 countSpain: 6,926 countFinland: 2,407 countFrance: 12,104 countGreece: 2,019 countCroatia: 829 countHungary: 1,862 countIreland: 1,120 countItaly: 9,543 countLithuania: 382 countLuxembourg: 66 countLatvia: 320 countMalta: 163 countNetherlands: 2,086 countPoland: 8,064 countPortugal: 1,289 countRomania: 3,479 countSweden: 1,387 countSlovenia: 425 countSlovakia: 1,981 count
  • Under 400
  • 400 to 1,300
  • 1,300 to 2,100
  • 2,100 to 6,200
  • 6,200 and over
count, 2022. Source: Eurostat, Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs_ovw_act). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2022

France: 12,104 countFrance12,104Germany: 9,838 countGermany9,838Italy: 9,543 countItaly9,543Poland: 8,064 countPoland8,064Czechia: 7,115 countCzechia7,115Spain: 6,926 countSpain6,926Romania: 3,479 countRomania3,479Austria: 2,835 countAustria2,835Finland: 2,407 countFinland2,407Denmark: 2,361 countDenmark2,361Netherlands: 2,086 countNetherlands2,086Greece: 2,019 countGreece2,019Slovakia: 1,981 countSlovakia1,981Hungary: 1,862 countHungary1,862Belgium: 1,540 countBelgium1,540Sweden: 1,387 countSweden1,387Portugal: 1,289 countPortugal1,289Ireland: 1,120 countIreland1,120Croatia: 829 countCroatia829Bulgaria: 783 countBulgaria783Slovenia: 425 countSlovenia425Lithuania: 382 countLithuania382Latvia: 320 countLatvia320Estonia: 308 countEstonia308Cyprus: 254 countCyprus254Malta: 163 countMalta163Luxembourg: 66 countLuxembourg66France: 12,104 countFrance12,104Germany: 9,838 countGermany9,838Italy: 9,543 countItaly9,543Poland: 8,064 countPoland8,064Czechia: 7,115 countCzechia7,115Spain: 6,926 countSpain6,926Romania: 3,479 countRomania3,479Austria: 2,835 countAustria2,835Finland: 2,407 countFinland2,407Denmark: 2,361 countDenmark2,361Netherlands: 2,086 countNetherlands2,086Greece: 2,019 countGreece2,019Slovakia: 1,981 countSlovakia1,981Hungary: 1,862 countHungary1,862Belgium: 1,540 countBelgium1,540Sweden: 1,387 countSweden1,387Portugal: 1,289 countPortugal1,289Ireland: 1,120 countIreland1,120Croatia: 829 countCroatia829Bulgaria: 783 countBulgaria783Slovenia: 425 countSlovenia425Lithuania: 382 countLithuania382Latvia: 320 countLatvia320Estonia: 308 countEstonia308Cyprus: 254 countCyprus254Malta: 163 countMalta163Luxembourg: 66 countLuxembourg66
count. Source: Eurostat, Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs_ovw_act). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2022
count		Change on 2021
1France12,104+6.7%
2Germany9,838+7.8%
3Italy9,543-0.3%
4Poland8,064-0.6%
5Czechia7,115-2.9%
6Spain6,926+1.4%
7Romania3,479-0.9%
8Austria2,835+0.1%
9Finland2,407+0.4%
10Denmark2,361-3.3%
11Netherlands2,086+4.4%
12Greece2,019+3%
13Slovakia1,981+9.8%
14Hungary1,862+0.7%
15Belgium1,540+15.4%
16Sweden1,387+0.2%
17Portugal1,289+0.2%
18Ireland1,120+2.3%
19Croatia829+1.5%
20Bulgaria783-0.9%
21Slovenia425+3.2%
22Lithuania382+1.9%
23Latvia3200%
24Estonia308+7.7%
25Cyprus254+10%
26Malta163-6.9%
27Luxembourg66-2.9%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of enterprises active at any time during the year in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev.

More on how it is measured
  • 2 section E), from Eurostat structural business statistics.
  • An enterprise is the smallest combination of legal units that produces goods or services with some autonomy in its decisions; one enterprise can have several local units.

Eurostat structural business statistics. From 2021 the series come from sbs_ovw_act under Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 on European business statistics; 2005 to 2020 come from the earlier table sbs_na_sca_r2. Values for 2021 are flagged as a break: value added moved from factor cost to basic prices and some activities changed coverage, so the change from 2020 to 2021 is not all real. Amounts are published in euros for every country, including those outside the euro area. Not the same as active_companies (INE business register, Spain) or employer_firms (US Census Bureau).

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. Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs_ovw_act). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_ovw_act/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs_ovw_act) (EU countries by enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_ovw_act/default/table

MLA 9

Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs_ovw_act), EU countries by enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation, 2022. Eurostat, European Commission, 30 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_ovw_act/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/enterprises-water-waste/eu-countries?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs_ovw_act). EU countries by enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_ovw_act/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/enterprises-water-waste/eu-countries?period=2022.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs_ovw_act), EU countries by enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_ovw_act/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/enterprises-water-waste/eu-countries?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_enterprises_2022,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs\_ovw\_act): EU countries by enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_ovw_act/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/enterprises-water-waste/eu-countries?period=2022. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs\_ovw\_act). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs\_ovw\_act/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs_ovw_act): EU countries by enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_ovw_act/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/enterprises-water-waste/eu-countries?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/enterprises-water-waste/eu-countries?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs_ovw_act). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_ovw_act/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation?

France, with 12,104 in 2022, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest enterprises in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation?

Luxembourg, with 66 in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Structural business statistics, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation (NACE Rev. 2 section E), enterprises, number (sbs_ovw_act). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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