Young entrepreneurs — aged 20 to 29 — make up 8% of the EU’s workforce, with more than two million people.
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The highest rates, according to the latest numbers from Eurostat, are found in Slovakia (12%), Malta (10.5%) and Romania (10%).
The Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, Latvia, Cyprus, Belgium, Poland, Finland, Croatia, Denmark and Lithuania all showed rates between 8% and 10%.
At the same time, Ireland (5%), Bulgaria (5%) and Spain (6%) reported the lowest proportion of young entrepreneurs.
A baby-entrepreneur boom?
On top of those two million people, there’s an additional 69,000 teenage entrepreneurs, meaning entrepreneurs aged 15 and 19 years old — a group that has expanded by 10% since 2022.
This segment is very much male-dominated — about 47,000 are boys, compared to 22,000 girls.
The Netherlands and Italy have the most significant numbers among the countries studied by Eurostat, with roughly 12,000 and 11,000 teenage entrepreneurs.
Beyond the EU, there’s an even larger surge happening in Turkey, where nearly 33,000 teens are already running their own businesses.
What are some of the best EU countries to set up a business?
The EU business ecosystem is highly diverse and presents different advantages and challenges across countries.
Estonia stands out as one of the most business-friendly places across the bloc.
Not only is it possible to set up a business entirely online, but it also has a 0% tax on reinvested profits and charges only on distributed dividends.
Portugal also offers a hassle-free path for opening a business, with an application to do so often costing as little as €360.
Ireland remains highly attractive, combining one of Europe’s lowest corporate taxes (at 12.5%) with agenerous 25% R&D tax credit, increasing to 30% for companies set up from 2024.
For investors with substantial capital for innovation, the Netherlands stands out with its 36% rebate on the first €380,000 invested in R&D activities.
Cyprus used to have the same corporate tax as Ireland, but, in 2026, it raised it to 15%.
It remains nonetheless a highly competitive business environment with a 0% withholding tax on dividends for non-resident shareholders. The recent fiscal reform also slashed withholding taxeson dividends for Cypriot residents from 17% to 5%.
But when it comes to smaller businesses, with low labour costs and small office charges, Lithuania’s SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) regime is one of the best in Europe.
Businesses with fewer than 10 employees and annual revenues below €300,000 enjoy a 0% corporate tax in year one, and 7% afterwards, compared to the 16% standard rate.
Also, the share of taxes on the total labour costs is only 5.5%, the second-lowest in the EU.
Which countries have the lowest youth-employment rates?
Shifting the perspective on the broader youth job market, Eurostat says about 66% of young people aged 20 to 29 are employed.
That’s six points up over the past 10 years. Again, the Netherlands is leading here, with an impressive 84% employment rate among young people, followed by Malta at 82% and Germany at 77%.
At the same time, Italy stands out for the wrong reasons here, with the lowest youth employment rate across the EU — around 48%, even lower than two extra-EU countries, Serbia (55%) and North Macedonia (50%).
Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria also lag behind in the bloc, both hovering just above the 50% mark.
