Employees by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026) - quarterly data by country
Countries reporting
47
Highest
38,456 Thousand persons
Germany
Lowest
159.1 Thousand persons
Montenegro
Median
2,452 Thousand persons
Years covered
19
2008–2026
Data points
890
What the numbers show
Employees by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026) - quarterly data is currently reported for 47 countries. The highest value is 38,456 Thousand persons in Germany; the lowest is 159.1 Thousand persons in Montenegro.
The median across all reporting countries is 2,452 Thousand persons, and the mean is 6,417 Thousand persons.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 242.
Over the past decade 43 countries rose and 4 fell. The largest increase was in Malta (up 61.5%), and the largest decrease in Bulgaria (down 6.4%).
Employees by economic: quarterly data … 2 2008-2026 quarterly: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 38,456 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 3.1% | rising |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 27,739 Thousand persons | 2020 | up 10.7% | rising |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 27,739 Thousand persons | 2020 | up 10.7% | rising |
| 4 | France | 25,442 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 8.8% | rising |
| 5 | Türkiye | 23,596 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 28.1% | rising |
| 6 | Spain | 19,582 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 27.3% | rising |
| 7 | Italy | 19,076 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 8 | Poland | 13,870 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 9 | Poland | 13,861 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 6.9% | rising |
| 10 | Netherlands | 8,377 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 18.9% | rising |
| 11 | Netherlands | 8,326 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 12 | Romania | 6,686 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 13 | Sweden | 4,826 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 14 | Portugal | 4,564 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 18.8% | rising |
| 15 | Czechia | 4,460 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 16 | Belgium | 4,368 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 17 | Switzerland | 4,080 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 3.0% | rising |
| 18 | Hungary | 4,075 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 19 | Austria | 3,941 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 6.4% | rising |
| 20 | Greece | 3,210 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 33.7% | rising |
| 21 | Denmark | 2,885 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 14.1% | rising |
| 22 | Norway | 2,777 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 13.4% | rising |
| 23 | Bulgaria | 2,489 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 24 | Ireland | 2,452 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 34.8% | rising |
| 25 | Finland | 2,287 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 9.2% | rising |
| 26 | Serbia | 2,233 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 17.4% | rising |
| 26 | Serbia | 2,233 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 17.4% | rising |
| 28 | Slovakia | 2,189 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 29 | Slovakia | 2,177 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 3.0% | rising |
| 30 | Croatia | 1,494 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 13.3% | rising |
| 31 | Croatia | 1,466 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 11.2% | rising |
| 32 | Lithuania | 1,301 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 9.2% | rising |
| 33 | Lithuania | 1,277 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 7.2% | rising |
| 34 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,050 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 35 | Slovenia | 869 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 36 | Slovenia | 860.1 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 8.2% | rising |
| 37 | Latvia | 755.8 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 1.4% | falling |
| 38 | Latvia | 749 Thousand persons | 2026 | down 2.2% | falling |
| 39 | Estonia | 616.3 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 6.9% | rising |
| 40 | Estonia | 608.8 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 41 | North Macedonia | 580.5 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 41 | North Macedonia | 580.5 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 43 | Cyprus | 466 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 46.8% | rising |
| 44 | Luxembourg | 297.3 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 25.5% | rising |
| 45 | Malta | 293.2 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 61.5% | rising |
| 46 | Iceland | 192.1 Thousand persons | 2026 | up 13.4% | rising |
| 47 | Montenegro | 159.1 Thousand persons | 2020 | down 2.8% | 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) 179,248 Thousand persons
- Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) 142,436 Thousand persons