The source adds the following information: The data cover the 'non-financial business economy', which includes industry, construction, trade, and services (NACE Rev. 2 sections B to J, L, M and N), but not enterprises in agriculture, forestry and fisheries and the largely non-market service sectors such as education and health. The following size-class definitions are applied: micro firms (0-9 persons employed), small firms (10-49 persons employed), medium-sized firms (50-249 persons employed), and large firms (250+ persons employed). The advantage of using Eurostat data is that the statistics are harmonised and comparable across countries. The disadvantage is that for some countries the data may be different from those published by national authorities.
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Number of people employed by SMEs in the European Union 2008-2025, by size
In 2025, there were approximately million people employed by SMEs in the European Union. Micro-sized enterprises (that employ between zero and nine people) employed approximately **** million people overall in this year, small-sized businesses (10-49 employees) employed **** million people, while medium-sized ones (50-249 employees) employed around **** million people.
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European Commission. (July 4, 2025). Number of people employed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union from 2008 to 2025, by enterprise size [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 31, 2026, from /statistics/936845/employment-by-smes-in-european-union/
European Commission. "Number of people employed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union from 2008 to 2025, by enterprise size." Chart. July 4, 2025. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 31, 2026. /statistics/936845/employment-by-smes-in-european-union/
European Commission. (2025). Number of people employed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union from 2008 to 2025, by enterprise size. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 31, 2026. /statistics/936845/employment-by-smes-in-european-union/
European Commission. "Number of People Employed by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (Smes) in The European Union from 2008 to 2025, by Enterprise Size." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 4 Jul 2025, /statistics/936845/employment-by-smes-in-european-union/
European Commission, Number of people employed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union from 2008 to 2025, by enterprise size ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/936845/employment-by-smes-in-european-union/ (last visited July 31, 2026)
Number of people employed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union from 2008 to 2025, by enterprise size [Graph], European Commission, July 4, 2025. [Online]. Available: /statistics/936845/employment-by-smes-in-european-union/
