Data extracted in February 2025
Planned article update: March 2026
Highlights
In 2022, businesses in the education sector generated €69.0 billion of value added and €119.4 billion of net turnover.
There were 2.5 million persons employed in businesses in the education sector in 2022.
This article presents an overview of statistics for the European Union's (EU) education sector, as covered by NACE Rev. 2 Section P. It belongs to a set of statistical articles on 'Business economy by sector'. Following the European Business Statistics (EBS) Regulation, the service coverage for structural business statistics (SBS) data includes the education sector. Additional information on education is also available from other data collections such as education and training statistics.
Structural profile
In 2022, the EU's education sector (Section P) comprised a total of 937 500 enterprises, which represented 2.9% of all enterprises active in the business economy (Sections B to N and P to R, as well as Divisions S95 and S96). These enterprises employed 2.5 million persons, generating €69.0 billion in value added and accumulating a net turnover of €119.4 billion. The EU's education sector contributed 1.5% of the persons employed in the business economy in 2022, and accounted for only 0.7% of the value added.
SBS only cover the activities of market producers. Contrary to most activities covered by SBS, non-market producers represent a significant part of the education sector (and also for example the health sector). It should be noted that the data in this article only cover the market producers, meaning those acting under market conditions, active in this sector.
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In 2022, the EU's education sector recorded apparent labour productivity and average employee benefits expense below the business economy averages. The apparent labour productivity in the education sector stood at €28 000 per person employed, representing a noteworthy difference of €34 700 compared with the business economy average of €62 700 per person employed. Similarly, the average employee benefits expense within the education sector amounted to €28 700 per employee, indicating a difference of €12 400 from the business economy average of €41 100 per employee.
Combining these 2 ratios into the wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio shows the extent to which value added per person employed covers average personnel costs per employee. In 2022, the education sector demonstrated a wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio of 97.4%, the third lowest across NACE sections within the business economy, marginally higher than 'Repair of computers and personal and household goods' (Division S95) and 'Other personal service activities' (Division S96). This ratio reflects the sector's low productivity. By contrast, the gross operating rate, indicating the share of turnover remaining after paying for purchased goods and services as well as employee benefits expense (in other words, the gross operating surplus) stood at 15.7% for the EU's education sector in 2022. This figure surpassed the 11.8% average of gross operating rate for the business economy. This indicates that the share of total purchases of goods and services is relatively low in the education sector compared with other economic activities.
Sectoral analysis
The education sector is organized into 6 NACE divisions: 'Pre-primary education' (Division 851), 'Primary education' (Division 852), 'Secondary education' (Division 853), 'Higher education' (Division 854), 'Other education' (Division 855) and 'Educational support activities' (Division 856). The first 4 divisions encompass the formal education, which is defined according to ISCED, as programmes that represent at least the equivalent of 1 semester (or half of a school/academic year) of full-time study. As mentioned in the introduction, SBS cover only the market producers in the educational sector, i.e. those acting under market conditions.
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(% share of sectoral total)
Source: Eurostat (sbs_ovw_act)
In 2022, the subsector 'Other education' (Division 855) comprised 800 000 enterprises and a workforce of 1.5 million persons. This was followed by the subsector of 'Secondary education' (Division 853), which includes general, technical and vocational secondary education and which employed 273 400 persons and generated €10.1 billion in value added. The subsector of 'Primary education' (Division 852) recorded the least number of enterprises at 7 700 enterprises. Despite the low number of enterprises, it employed 159 300 persons, as seen in Table 2a.
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Source: Eurostat (sbs_ovw_act)
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Source: Eurostat (sbs_ovw_act)
In 2022, apparent labour productivity within the EU's education subsectors ranged from €23 300 per person employed for 'Educational support activities' to €37 000 for 'Secondary education', while no data was available for 'Higher education' (Division 854) and for 'Other education' (Division 855). Within the subsector of 'Secondary education', the recorded average employee benefits expense was the highest in the EU's education sector in 2022, at €33 900 per employee. The subsectors of 'Educational support activities' (Division 856) and 'Pre-primary education' (Division 851) accounted for the lowest average employee benefits expense within the education sector, standing at €25 700 and €25 600 per employee, respectively — see Table 2b.
Country overview
Figure 2 illustrates the diverse landscape of the market activities in the education sector's contribution to the business economy's employment in 2022. This has varied from around 0.6% in Luxembourg, Belgium and Bulgaria to 3.4% in Spain and 3.3% in Cyprus and has reached the highest share at 4.4% in Greece. The share in value added terms was much lower, varying from 0.2% in Luxembourg and Belgium to 2.3% in Cyprus, while the EU average was at 0.7%.
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(% share of value added and employment in the business economy total)
Source: Eurostat (sbs_ovw_act)
Among the 5 largest EU countries, Germany accounted for 27.6% of the EU valued added of market activities in the education sector in 2022, marginally below its 28.6% share of value added in the EU's business economy as a whole. Spain recorded the second-highest share, accounting for 19.7% of the value added in the EU's education sector, surpassing its 7.7% share in the business economy. France followed closely, having similar shares of value added in both the education sector (14.1%) and the business economy (14.5%). The contribution of the top 5 countries in the education sector accounted for 75.9% of the value added and 64.6% of employment. In terms of employment, the education sector (only market activities) in Spain had the highest share in the whole business economy (21.4%), being followed by Germany, France, Poland, and Greece — see Figure 3.
(cumulative share of the 5 principal countries as a % of the EU total)
Source: Eurostat (sbs_ovw_act)
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Source: Eurostat (sbs_ovw_act)
In value added terms, Germany was the largest EU country in 3 of the 6 education subsectors in 2022 (see Table 3): pre-primary education, secondary education, and other education. Spain was the largest in 2 (primary education and higher education), while the Netherlands in educational support activities. As seen in Table 4, in absolute terms, Germany recorded the highest level of value added (€19.0 billion) and of turnover (€29.5 billion) within the education sector in 2022.The second and third highest values in net turnover for the education sector were recorded in France (€20.5 billion) and Spain (€18.2 billion), while in terms of value added the order was reversed. The same 3 countries also dominated the employment, Spain recording the highest number of persons employed within the education sector in 2022, 0.5 million persons.
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Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources and availability
Coverage
The education sector includes the activity of education at any level or for any profession. The instructions may be oral or written and may be provided by radio, television, Internet or via correspondence. The breakdown of the categories in the education sector is based on the level of education offered as defined by the levels of ISCED:
- pre-primary education (Division 851) - ISCED level 0
- primary education (Division 852) - ISCED level 1
- secondary education (Division 853) - ISCED levels 2-3
- general secondary education
- technical and vocational secondary education
- higher education (Division 854) - ISCED level 4-8
- post-secondary non-tertiary education
- tertiary education
- other education (Division 855)
- sports and recreational education (including different sports, martial arts, yoga)
- cultural education (including music instruction, dancing, drama, fine arts)
- driving school activities
- other education n.e.c (including academic tutoring, language instruction, public speaking training)
- educational support activities (Division 856).
Formal education is defined according ISCED, as programmes that represent at least the equivalent of 1 semester (or half of a school/academic year) of full-time study. These programmes are classified according to the ISCED classification, which is also followed in the NACE and reflected in the SBS categories apart from 'other education' and 'educational support activities'.
Data sources
Structural business statistics cover the 'business economy', which includes industry, construction and many services (NACE Rev. 2 sections B to N, P to R as well as division S95 and S96). Structural business statistics do not cover agriculture, forestry and fishing, nor public administration.
Structural business statistics describe the business economy through the observation of units engaged in an economic activity; the unit in structural business statistics is generally the enterprise. An enterprise carries out 1 or more activities, at 1 or more locations, and it may comprise 1 or more legal units. Enterprises that are active in more than 1 economic activity (plus the value added and turnover they generate, the people they employ, and so on) are classified under the NACE heading corresponding to their principal activity; this is normally the 1 which generates the largest amount of value added.
The analysis presented in this article is based on the main dataset for structural business statistics (SBS), size class data and regional data, all of which are published annually. SBS only cover the activities of market producers, meaning those acting under market conditions. Contrary to most activities covered by SBS, non-market producers represent a significant part of the education sector.
The main series provides information for each EU Member State as well as a number of non-EU member countries at a detailed level according to the activity classification NACE. Data are available for a wide range of variables.
In structural business statistics, size classes are generally defined by the number of persons employed. A limited set of the standard structural business statistics variables (for example, the number of enterprises, turnover, persons employed and value added) are analysed by size class, mostly down to the 3-digit (group) level of NACE. The main size classes used in this article for presenting the results are:
- small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): with 1 to 249 persons employed, further divided into
- micro enterprises: with less than 10 persons employed;
- small enterprises: with 10 to 49 persons employed;
- medium-sized enterprises: with 50 to 249 persons employed;
- large enterprises: with 250 or more persons employed.
Structural business statistics also include regional data. Regional SBS data are available at NUTS levels 1 and 2 for most of the EU Member States, Iceland and Norway, mostly down to the 2-digit (division) level of NACE. The main variable analysed in this article is the number of persons employed. The type of statistical unit used for regional SBS data is normally the local unit, which is an enterprise or part of an enterprise situated in a geographically identified place. Local units are classified into sectors (by NACE) normally according to their own main activity, but in some EU Member States the activity code is assigned on the basis of the principal activity of the enterprise to which the local unit belongs. The main SBS data series are presented at national level only, and for this national data the statistical unit is the enterprise. It is possible for the principal activity of a local unit to differ from that of the enterprise to which it belongs. Hence, national SBS data from the main series are not necessarily directly comparable with national aggregates compiled from regional SBS.
Explore further
Other articles
Thematic section
Publications
- Recent Eurostat publications on SBS
- Key figures on Europe – 2024 edition – see subchapter on Business
- Eurostat's Regional Yearbook – see chapter 8. Business
- News Release SBS – 2022 final data
Selected datasets
Methodology
External links
- European Commission – Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
- European Education Area – Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021–2030)
- European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP)
- Eurydice – Information network on education in Europe – National education systems
- OECD – Education
- UNESCO – Education transforms lives