The EU had 15.7 professional judges per 100,000 people in 2024, down from 17.7 in 2014.
Croatia and Slovenia recorded the highest ratios among EU countries, with 43.3 and 40.2 judges per 100,000 people respectively, Eurostat reported on Friday.
Luxembourg followed with 36.0, ahead of Bulgaria with 35.4 and Romania with 35.3.
At the other end of the scale, Ireland had 3.6 professional judges per 100,000 people, followed by Austria with 4.3 and Spain with 6.2. Czechia had 6.7 and Italy 7.9.
Women made up most judges in nearly all EU countries
Female professional judges were more prevalent in most EU member states in 2024, with Ireland the only country where men were the majority, Eurostat said.
Male judges accounted for 56.4% in Ireland, compared with 43.6% for women — 110 men and 85 women.
Slovenia had the highest share of female professional judges at 81.4%, with 694 women and 159 men.
Latvia followed with 79.7% — 408 women and 104 men — while Greece recorded 75.5%, with 2,042 women and 662 men.
Germany’s judiciary was close to evenly split, with women making up 50.7% of professional judges — 11,139 women compared with 10,813 men.
The update was published on 17 July to mark the Day of International Criminal Justice, the anniversary of the 1998 adoption of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court.
