16% of EU workers employed by foreign-owned enterprises

In 2024, only 1% of EU market producer enterprises (hereinafter, enterprises) were under foreign control. Of those, 59% were controlled by institutional units from other EU countries and 41% resided outside the EU.

Among EU countries, Luxembourg had the highest share of foreign-controlled enterprises, at 28% of all enterprises, followed by Estonia (12%). In all other EU countries, foreign-controlled enterprises represented 5% or less of all enterprises, with shares ranging from 0.3% in Poland and Italy to 5% in Croatia.

Although their number is small, their contribution to the EU economy is significant. These enterprises employed 16% of people working in the EU, and their share of total value added represented 24% of the EU total. 

Source dataset: fats_activ

Among EU countries, value added by foreign-controlled enterprises was the highest in Ireland (72%), Luxembourg (62%) and Slovakia (50%). By contrast, France (15%), Italy (18%) and Germany (18%) had the lowest shares of value added.  

In terms of employees and self-employed persons, foreign-controlled enterprises represented 45% of jobs in Luxembourg, and 28% in Ireland, Slovakia and Romania. Conversely, they accounted for 10% or less of jobs in Greece (8%), Cyprus and Italy (each 10%).