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INDUSTRY DATA
[11 Sept 2026] This section is currently undergoing updates. Some content may be incomplete or subject to change while we finalise these updates.
The European chemical industry is a foundation of the continent’s economy. To help those keen to acquire an accurate picture of the industry, we have produced this regional overview to better understand the industry today, the challenges it faces, and its ambitions for the future.
Note that the scope of the chemical industry differs from one country to the other. In some countries, the scope of the chemical industry is strictly limited to chemicals, under NACE 20 of the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Union. In other countries, the scope of the chemical industry also covers the pharmaceutical sector and the rubber & plastics sectors, i.e NACE 21 and NACE 22 respectively.
Explore the manifold landscape of the European chemical industry
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Austria
Turnover
€ 21.3 billion
Number of companies
228
Direct employees
50,890
-
Belgium
Turnover
€75.4billion
Number of companies
> 700
Capital Spending
€4.1 billion
R&D Investment
€7 billion
Direct Employees
97,427
-
Bulgaria
Turnover
€4.541 billion
Number of Companies
634
Direct employees
12,850z
Capital Spending
€432 million
R&D investment
€856 million
-
Croatia
Turnover
€ 1.005 million
Number of Companies
396
Direct Employees
5,807
-
Czech Republic
Turnover*
€ 31,5 billion
Number of Companies**
1811
Direct employees*
129.100
Export
€20.6 billion
* companies over 50 employees
**120 companies over 50 employees
-
Denmark
Turnover
€6.6 billion
Number of companies
303
Direct employees
11,209
Capital spending
€4.1 billion
-
Estonia
Turnover
€613 million
Number of Companies
119
Direct Employees
3900
-
Finland
Turn over (2025)
€28 billion
Number of Companies
1123
Direct employees (2024)
34,500
Capital spending (2023)
€1.5 million
R&D investment (2023)
€320 million
-
France
Turnover
€108.5 billion
Number of Companies
4000
Direct Employees
177,000
Capital Spending
€8 billion
R&D Investment
€2 billion
-
Germany
Turnover
€225.5 billion
Number of Companies
2094
Direct Employees
479,542
Capital Spending
€9.4 billion
R&D Investment
€14 billion
-
Greece
Turnover
€3.8 billion
Number of Companies
960
Direct Employees
13.000
-
Hungary
Turnover
€6,55 billion
Direct employees
16,757
-
Ireland
Pharmaceutical companies
90M+
Direct & Indirect employee
80,000
Annual export
116+ billion
FDA approved pharma and biopharma plants
50
#2 exporter (in Europe) vaccines
#3 exporter (in Europe) pharmaceutical goods & medicines
antisera & immunological products -
Italy
Turnover
€65 billion
Number of Companies
2,849
Direct Employees
113,600
Capital Spending
€2.2 billion
R&D Investment
€595 million
-
Latvia
Turn over
€770 million
Number of companies
530
Direct and indirect employees
9,700
-
Lithuania
Turnover
€3.3 billion
Number of Companies
200
Direct Employees
7,214
-
Netherlands
Turnover
€64 billion
Number of companies
400
Direct employees
48,000
R&D investment
€1 billion
-
Norway
Turnover
€13.9 billion
Direct Employees
13,900
-
Poland
Production sold
€100 billion
Number of Companies
12,500
Direct Employees
340.000
Total investment
€4.8 billion
-
Portugal
Turnover
€6.588 billion
Number of companies
958
Direct employees
16,397
-
Romania
Turnover
€9.5 billion
Number of companies
950
Direct Employees
18.804
-
Serbia
Turnover
€8.3 billion
Direct Employees
66,539
Number of Companies
2747
-
Slovakia
Turnover
€12, 960 billion
Number of companies
255(with over 20 employees)
Direct Employees
37 481
R&D investment
€1, 279 billion
-
Slovenia
Turnover
€7.2 billion
Number of Companies
810
Direct employees
33,000
-
Spain
Turnover
€85.417 billion
Number of Companies
3,048
Direct employee
226,450
Capital spending
€4.4 billion
Direct, indirect and induced employees
Over 1 million
R&D Investment
€2.262 billion
-
Sweden
Turnover
€40 billion
Number of Companies
1873
Direct Employees
56,000
-
Switzerland
Number of companies
250
Direct employees
80,000 FTE
R&D Investment
6 billion CHF
Export ratio
50% of Swiss total export
-
Türkiye
Turnover
€83 billion
Number of companies
21,533
Direct employees
379,430
-
Ukraine
Turn over (9 months 2025)
€ 2.549 billion
Number of Companies (9 months 2025)
2569
Capital Spending (9 months 2025)
€133.65 million
-
United Kingdom
Turnover
£82 billion
Number of companies
3,890
Capital spending
£6,9 billion
R&D investment
£10,2 billion
Direct employees
134.000