EU countries by local units in professional, scientific and technical activities
Italy had the highest local units in professional, scientific and technical activities of 27 EU countries in 2022, at 896,919. Malta had the lowest, at 7,654. The median was 96,579. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
Map of EU countries, 2022
- Under 40K
- 40K to 59K
- 59K to 160K
- 160K to 330K
- 330K and over
All EU countries, 2022
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2022 | Change on 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 896,919 | +5.6% |
| 2 | France | 766,502 | +14.7% |
| 3 | Germany | 531,321 | +1.5% |
| 4 | Netherlands | 501,650 | +5.3% |
| 5 | Spain | 486,989 | +3% |
| 6 | Poland | 363,601 | +1.7% |
| 7 | Czechia | 211,962 | +2.2% |
| 8 | Belgium | 197,401 | +8.1% |
| 9 | Sweden | 197,270 | -1.8% |
| 10 | Hungary | 176,229 | +3.1% |
| 11 | Greece | 160,271 | +5.5% |
| 12 | Portugal | 151,472 | +5.3% |
| 13 | Austria | 105,920 | -0.3% |
| 14 | Slovakia | 96,579 | +6.9% |
| 15 | Romania | 79,784 | +2.2% |
| 16 | Finland | 70,139 | +7.9% |
| 17 | Ireland | 51,336 | -1.3% |
| 18 | Bulgaria | 49,706 | +4.4% |
| 19 | Denmark | 44,673 | +6.1% |
| 20 | Lithuania | 44,500 | +9.3% |
| 21 | Croatia | 40,291 | +4.9% |
| 22 | Slovenia | 39,878 | +4.6% |
| 23 | Estonia | 26,358 | +14.5% |
| 24 | Latvia | 20,664 | +4.8% |
| 25 | Cyprus | 12,463 | +10.2% |
| 26 | Luxembourg | 10,996 | +2.8% |
| 27 | Malta | 7,654 | +4.3% |
Other periods
About this ranking
Number of local units of enterprises in professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M). A local unit is an enterprise, or part of one, at a geographically identified place, such as a factory, shop, office or warehouse. Eurostat structural business statistics by region.
Eurostat structural business statistics by region (sbs_r_nuts2021), from 2021. Counted where each unit is located, so an enterprise with shops in several regions counts once in each. Countries and NUTS 2 regions. Eurostat publishes 2021 on NUTS 2021 codes and later years on NUTS 2024 codes, so regions created in 2024 (in Portugal and the Netherlands) start in 2022. Some countries publish estimates, flagged as such.
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. Local units by NUTS 2 region, Professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M) (sbs_r_nuts2021). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_r_nuts2021/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Local units by NUTS 2 region, Professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M) (sbs_r_nuts2021) (EU countries by local units in professional, scientific and technical activities, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_r_nuts2021/default/table
MLA 9
Local units by NUTS 2 region, Professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M) (sbs_r_nuts2021), EU countries by local units in professional, scientific and technical activities, 2022. Eurostat, European Commission, 30 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_r_nuts2021/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/local-units-professional-scientific/eu-countries?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Local units by NUTS 2 region, Professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M) (sbs_r_nuts2021). EU countries by local units in professional, scientific and technical activities, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_r_nuts2021/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/local-units-professional-scientific/eu-countries?period=2022.
Harvard
Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Local units by NUTS 2 region, Professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M) (sbs_r_nuts2021), EU countries by local units in professional, scientific and technical activities, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_r_nuts2021/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/local-units-professional-scientific/eu-countries?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_local_2022,
author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
title = {{Local units by NUTS 2 region, Professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M) (sbs\_r\_nuts2021): EU countries by local units in professional, scientific and technical activities, 2022}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_r_nuts2021/default/table},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/local-units-professional-scientific/eu-countries?period=2022. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Local units by NUTS 2 region, Professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M) (sbs\_r\_nuts2021). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs\_r\_nuts2021/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - Eurostat, European Commission
TI - Local units by NUTS 2 region, Professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M) (sbs_r_nuts2021): EU countries by local units in professional, scientific and technical activities, 2022
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
PB - Eurostat, European Commission
DB - Invokely
UR - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_r_nuts2021/default/table
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/local-units-professional-scientific/eu-countries?period=2022
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/local-units-professional-scientific/eu-countries?period=2022.
N1 - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Local units by NUTS 2 region, Professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M) (sbs_r_nuts2021). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sbs_r_nuts2021/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
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Rank EU countries by local units in professional, scientific and technical activities using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"business_local_units_professional_scientific","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
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Which EU country has the highest local units in professional, scientific and technical activities?
Italy, with 896,919 in 2022, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
Which EU country has the lowest local units in professional, scientific and technical activities?
Malta, with 7,654 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, Local units by NUTS 2 region, Professional, scientific and technical activities (NACE Rev. 2 section M) (sbs_r_nuts2021). Retrieved 2026-10-12.
Local units in professional, scientific and technical activities: other rankings
- Regions of Denmark (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Netherlands (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Sweden (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Italy (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Czechia (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Bulgaria (NUTS 2)
EU countries: more rankings
- Value added in information and communication
- Persons employed in information and communication
- Net turnover in professional, scientific and technical activities
- Enterprises in information and communication
- Gender pay gap (unadjusted)
- ICT specialists in employment
- Consumer confidence indicator
- Real GDP growth