operating in the non-financial business economy of the European Union in 2024, which was slightly more than in 2023 and the highest number since 2008. The delayed economic impact of the high inflation in Europe and the economic stagnation during 2022 had an impact on
that increased between 2022 and 2023 but that return to normal levels in 2024. In relation to Europe, France is expected to suffer the highest
, at around 63,000, followed by the UK at just under 28,000, and Germany at 20,250.
Largest companies in Europe
Based on the global number of employees, the Irish-American IT services and consulting firm Accenture was the largest company in Europe in 2024. The company is globally active, with its headquarters based in Dublin, meaning that a large share of its employees are in fact based outside of Europe. Volkswagen, Germany's largest car manufacturer, was the second largest employer in Europe, with its Wolfsburg headquarters employing almost 70,000 alone, with numerous other large factories in central and eastern Europe. In terms of
revenue, the two largest European companies were Volkswagen and the the Anglo-Dutch oil and gas giant, Royal Dutch Shell, with annual revenues of 348.41 billion and 323.18 billion U.S dollars. Overall, Germany had the highest number of
large businesses that employed 250 or more people in the European Union, at 10,700, far more than the second-highest country, France which had just 5,249. As a
share of the total number of companies, large businesses made up just 0.2 percent of the European business population, with the vast majority of businesses being small and medium-sized ones that employed fewer than 250 people.
Which country has the best business environment?
According to the
Ease of Doing Business Index from the World Bank, Denmark was the highest ranking country in Europe, implying that it had the best regulatory environment on the continent. The UK had the second highest ranking, and was followed by Norway in third place, and Sweden in fourth. The index measures a variety of factors, including the
average number of days that it takes to register a company, which ranges from three and a half days in Denmark, Estonia, and the Netherlands, to 80 days in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Austria, while only achieving thirteenth place in the Ease of Doing Business ranking, is home to the
oldest company in Europe, a restaurant called the Stiftskeller St. Peter, operating within the walls of a church in Salzburg for more than 1,200 years.
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Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
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