Foreign-owned businesses made up just 1% of market producer enterprises in the EU in 2024 but employed 16% of the bloc’s workforce.
Of the foreign-controlled firms operating in the EU, 59% were controlled by owners based in another EU country, while 41% were controlled from outside the EU, Eurostat reported on Thursday.
Luxembourg had the highest share of foreign-controlled enterprises, at 28% of all enterprises, followed by Estonia at 12%.
In every other EU country, foreign-controlled companies accounted for 5% or less of all enterprises, ranging from 0.3% in Poland and Italy to 5% in Croatia.
Foreign-controlled enterprises accounted for 24% of the EU’s total “value added” — a measure of the value businesses create through production, after subtracting the cost of inputs.
Ireland and Luxembourg lead on foreign-controlled value added
The share of national value added generated by foreign-controlled enterprises was highest in Ireland at 72%, Luxembourg at 62% and Slovakia at 50%, according to Eurostat.
The lowest shares were recorded in France at 15%, and in Italy and Germany at 18% each.
Foreign-controlled enterprises accounted for 45% of jobs in Luxembourg, and 28% in Ireland, Slovakia and Romania.
They represented 10% or less of jobs in Greece (8%), and in Cyprus and Italy (10% each).
