Employed persons in knowledge-intensive activities by NACE Rev. 2 activity (2008-2026) by country
Countries reporting
45
Highest
15,884 Thousand persons
Germany
Lowest
72.6 Thousand persons
Montenegro
Median
1,169 Thousand persons
Years covered
18
2008–2025
Data points
807
What the numbers show
Employed persons in knowledge-intensive activities by NACE Rev. 2 activity (2008-2026) is currently reported for 45 countries. The highest value is 15,884 Thousand persons in Germany; the lowest is 72.6 Thousand persons in Montenegro.
The median across all reporting countries is 1,169 Thousand persons, and the mean is 2,884 Thousand persons.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 219.
Employed persons in knowledge-intensive activities by NACE Rev. 2: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 15,884 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 14,143 Thousand persons | 2019 | up 16.5% | rising |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 14,143 Thousand persons | 2019 | up 16.5% | rising |
| 4 | France | 11,497 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 11.2% | rising |
| 5 | Türkiye | 8,238 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 55.0% | rising |
| 6 | Italy | 7,790 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 7.6% | flat |
| 7 | Spain | 7,427 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 28.3% | rising |
| 8 | Poland | 5,748 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 23.6% | rising |
| 8 | Poland | 5,748 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 23.6% | rising |
| 10 | Netherlands | 4,179 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 35.3% | rising |
| 10 | Netherlands | 4,179 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 35.3% | rising |
| 12 | Sweden | 2,518 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 21.8% | rising |
| 13 | Belgium | 2,378 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 25.3% | rising |
| 14 | Switzerland | 2,108 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 15.0% | rising |
| 15 | Romania | 1,825 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 5.8% | rising |
| 16 | Czechia | 1,807 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 19.9% | rising |
| 17 | Portugal | 1,807 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 27.6% | rising |
| 18 | Austria | 1,759 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 18.8% | rising |
| 19 | Hungary | 1,656 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 14.8% | rising |
| 20 | Greece | 1,530 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 23.5% | rising |
| 21 | Ireland | 1,257 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 47.6% | rising |
| 22 | Denmark | 1,208 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 16.0% | rising |
| 23 | Norway | 1,169 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 14.9% | rising |
| 24 | Finland | 967 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 7.3% | rising |
| 25 | Bulgaria | 894.9 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 6.2% | flat |
| 26 | Serbia | 894.8 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 30.8% | rising |
| 27 | Slovakia | 866.6 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 17.9% | rising |
| 27 | Slovakia | 866.6 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 17.9% | rising |
| 29 | Croatia | 596.4 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 23.6% | rising |
| 29 | Croatia | 596.4 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 23.6% | rising |
| 31 | Lithuania | 532.6 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 29.0% | rising |
| 31 | Lithuania | 532.6 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 29.0% | rising |
| 33 | Slovenia | 357 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 14.8% | rising |
| 33 | Slovenia | 357 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 14.8% | rising |
| 35 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 337.6 Thousand persons | 2025 | — | rising |
| 36 | Latvia | 294 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 36 | Latvia | 294 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 38 | Estonia | 239.7 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 20.2% | rising |
| 38 | Estonia | 239.7 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 20.2% | rising |
| 40 | North Macedonia | 208.2 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 20.8% | rising |
| 41 | Luxembourg | 202.5 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 53.6% | rising |
| 42 | Cyprus | 202.3 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 52.7% | rising |
| 43 | Malta | 131.4 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 55.5% | rising |
| 44 | Iceland | 93.4 Thousand persons | 2025 | up 25.9% | rising |
| 45 | Montenegro | 72.6 Thousand persons | 2020 | up 13.3% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) 75,553 Thousand persons
- Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) 60,791 Thousand persons