Romania, among the last in EU with the lowest share of high-growth enterprises in 2015

In 2015, EU Member States showed considerable variation in the distribution of high-growth enterprises. According to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, the highest proportion of high-growth enterprises among all active enterprises with at least 10 employees was recorded in Ireland (14.9 percent), ahead of Malta (13.7 percent in 2014), Hungary (12.5 percent), Slovakia and Latvia (both 12.2 percent) as well as Sweden (12.1 percent).

At the opposite end of the scale, the lowest shares were registered in Cyprus (2.2 percent in 2014) and Romania (2.3 percent), followed by Greece (6 percent), Austria (6.5 percent), Italy (7.6 percent), Estonia (7.7 percent) and Belgium (8.1 percent).

High-growth enterprises have a significant impact on employment. In 2015, about 1 in 5 employees was employed in high-growth enterprises in Ireland (21.7 percent), Hungary (20.7 percent) and Portugal (19.7 percent). High-growth enterprises had also a significant impact on employment in the United Kingdom (19 percent), Bulgaria (18.6 percent), Malta (17.5 percent in 2014), Latvia and the Netherlands (both 17.4 percent). In contrast, the lowest shares were registered in Cyprus (3.6 percent in 2014) and Romania (5.9 percent), followed at a distance by Austria (7.8 percent), Finland and France (both 9.5 percent).

In 2015, close to 158 000 companies were recognised as high-growth enterprises. They account for one tenth (9.9 percent) of all active enterprises with at least ten employees in the business economy in the European Union (EU), and provide work for over 13.5 million employees. High-growth companies were identified using the criteria of average annualised growth in employee numbers of more than 10 percent per year over a three-year period and at least 10 employees when this growth began. High-growth enterprises play an important role in contributing to economic growth and job creation.

Looking at a breakdown by economic activity, high-growth enterprises in the EU were more predominant in the service sectors than in the rest of the business economy in 2015. The highest proportion of high-growth enterprises was in the “Information and communication“ sector (15.3 percent of active enterprises in this sector), followed by “Administrative and support service activities” (14 percent), “Transportation and storage” (12 percent) and “Professional, scientific and technical activities” (11.3 percent).