Only 1 per cent of EU market producer enterprises (hereinafter, enterprises) were under foreign control in 2024. Of these, 59% were controlled by institutional units from other EU countries and 41% resided outside the EU.
The figures from EU statistics agency Eurostat show that, among EU member states, 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.
While 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.
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%).
Online publication on globalisation patterns in EU trade and investment
Thematic section on globalisation of businesses
