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 2023, at 12,593. Luxembourg had the lowest, at 68. The median was 1,814 and the figure for the European Union (27) was 82,075. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest12,593France
Lowest68Luxembourg
Median1,81427 EU countries
European Union (27)82,075History

Map of EU countries, 2023

Austria: 2,842 countBelgium: 1,543 countBulgaria: 769 countCyprus: 243 countCzechia: 7,079 countGermany: 9,749 countDenmark: 2,330 countEstonia: 322 countSpain: 7,075 countFinland: 2,407 countFrance: 12,593 countGreece: 2,013 countCroatia: 810 countHungary: 1,814 countIreland: 1,136 countItaly: 9,460 countLithuania: 353 countLuxembourg: 68 countLatvia: 295 countMalta: 165 countNetherlands: 2,103 countPoland: 8,157 countPortugal: 1,283 countRomania: 3,517 countSweden: 1,438 countSlovenia: 412 countSlovakia: 2,099 count
  • Under 400
  • 400 to 1,300
  • 1,300 to 2,100
  • 2,100 to 6,400
  • 6,400 and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

France: 12,593 countFrance12,593Germany: 9,749 countGermany9,749Italy: 9,460 countItaly9,460Poland: 8,157 countPoland8,157Czechia: 7,079 countCzechia7,079Spain: 7,075 countSpain7,075Romania: 3,517 countRomania3,517Austria: 2,842 countAustria2,842Finland: 2,407 countFinland2,407Denmark: 2,330 countDenmark2,330Netherlands: 2,103 countNetherlands2,103Slovakia: 2,099 countSlovakia2,099Greece: 2,013 countGreece2,013Hungary: 1,814 countHungary1,814Belgium: 1,543 countBelgium1,543Sweden: 1,438 countSweden1,438Portugal: 1,283 countPortugal1,283Ireland: 1,136 countIreland1,136Croatia: 810 countCroatia810Bulgaria: 769 countBulgaria769Slovenia: 412 countSlovenia412Lithuania: 353 countLithuania353Estonia: 322 countEstonia322Latvia: 295 countLatvia295Cyprus: 243 countCyprus243Malta: 165 countMalta165Luxembourg: 68 countLuxembourg68France: 12,593 countFrance12,593Germany: 9,749 countGermany9,749Italy: 9,460 countItaly9,460Poland: 8,157 countPoland8,157Czechia: 7,079 countCzechia7,079Spain: 7,075 countSpain7,075Romania: 3,517 countRomania3,517Austria: 2,842 countAustria2,842Finland: 2,407 countFinland2,407Denmark: 2,330 countDenmark2,330Netherlands: 2,103 countNetherlands2,103Slovakia: 2,099 countSlovakia2,099Greece: 2,013 countGreece2,013Hungary: 1,814 countHungary1,814Belgium: 1,543 countBelgium1,543Sweden: 1,438 countSweden1,438Portugal: 1,283 countPortugal1,283Ireland: 1,136 countIreland1,136Croatia: 810 countCroatia810Bulgaria: 769 countBulgaria769Slovenia: 412 countSlovenia412Lithuania: 353 countLithuania353Estonia: 322 countEstonia322Latvia: 295 countLatvia295Cyprus: 243 countCyprus243Malta: 165 countMalta165Luxembourg: 68 countLuxembourg68
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 countries2023
count		Change on 2022
1France12,593+4%
2Germany9,749-0.9%
3Italy9,460-0.9%
4Poland8,157+1.2%
5Czechia7,079-0.5%
6Spain7,075+2.2%
7Romania3,517+1.1%
8Austria2,842+0.2%
9Finland2,4070%
10Denmark2,330-1.3%
11Netherlands2,103+0.8%
12Slovakia2,099+6%
13Greece2,013-0.3%
14Hungary1,814-2.6%
15Belgium1,543+0.2%
16Sweden1,438+3.7%
17Portugal1,283-0.5%
18Ireland1,136+1.4%
19Croatia810-2.3%
20Bulgaria769-1.8%
21Slovenia412-3.1%
22Lithuania353-7.6%
23Estonia322+4.5%
24Latvia295-7.8%
25Cyprus243-4.3%
26Malta165+1.2%
27Luxembourg68+3%

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, 2023) [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, 2023. 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=2023. 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, 2023. 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=2023.

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, 2023 [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=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_enterprises_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/enterprises-water-waste/eu-countries?period=2023.
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 12,593 in 2023, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Luxembourg, with 68 in 2023.

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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