In 2021, there were approximately 2.3 million businesses operating in the health and social work sector in the European Union, accounting for 7.4% of all enterprises in the EU’s business economy. These sectors are classified under Section Q of the statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE).
With the implementation of the European Business Statistics (EBS) Regulation, Eurostat has expanded its coverage to include structural business statistics (SBS) data for businesses in the health and social work sector. This marks the first time that such data has been published.
The health and social work sector employed a total of 13.1 million people in 2021 and generated €579.5 billion in value added, achieving a net turnover of €887.1 billion.
The impact of the health and social work sector on the value added of the overall business economy varied among EU countries. On average, the sector contributed 6.2% to the value added in the EU. Germany (9.7%), the Netherlands (8.8%), and Belgium (8.3%) were among the countries with the highest contributions, while Hungary (1.5%), Croatia (1.6%), and Ireland (1.8%) had lower contributions.
In terms of employment, the health and social work sector accounted for an average of 8.4% of
