| Innovation-active enterprises | Innovation-active enterprises | Innovation-active enterprises with R&D activities | Innovation-active enterprises with R&D activities | ||||
| Total | Total | Of which: with in-house R&D | Of which: continuous R&D | Of which: occasional R&D | Of which: R&D performed by external parties 2) | ||
| Year | Country | Number | Share (%) | Share (%) | Share (%) | ||
2018
4) | Germany | 100,250 | 67.8 | 28.2 | 17.6 | 10.6 | 11.7 |
Belgium | 9,835 | 67.8 | 31.1 | 21.6 | 9.7 | 15.5 | |
Denmark | 5,301 | 57.1 | 13.2 | 9.5 | 6.6 | 7.7 | |
Finland | 5,399 | 61.9 | 41.3 | 24.1 | 17.2 | 27.0 | |
France | 35,716 | 51.5 | 30.1 | 20.3 | 15.2 | 14.9 | |
Ireland | 2,007 | 45.5 | 25.0 | 17.7 | 7.4 | 9.8 | |
Italy | 74,856 | 63.2 | 28.0 | 14.7 | 13.3 | 13.6 | |
Netherlands | 13,523 | 49.7 | 32.8 | 19.5 | 13.3 | 17.6 | |
Austria | 11,333 | 62.6 | 23.3 | 13.2 | 10.1 | 12.0 | |
Portugal | 7,843 | 37.8 | 12.0 | 7.2 | 4.8 | 6.0 | |
Sweden
5) | 11,600 | 63.1 | 10.1 | 8.8 | 1.4 | 10.5 | |
Spain | 21,986 | 31.1 | 11.0 | 8.1 | 2.8 | 3.7 | |
EU27
6) | 366,758 | 50.3 | 20.8 | 12.5 | 8.9 | 10.0 | |
2020 | Germany | 110,668 | 68.8 | 29.2 | 17.8 | 11.4 | 9.9 |
Belgium | 10,679 | 71.3 | 37.9 | 22.8 | 15.1 | 11.2 | |
Denmark | 5,584 | 57.7 | 16.3 | 12.9 | 7.6 | 8.0 | |
Finland | 6,153 | 68.6 | 45.9 | 23.3 | 22.6 | 31.4 | |
France | 30,460 | 54.8 | 29.5 | 19.2 | 15.2 | 11.3 | |
Ireland | 2,381 | 57.6 | 30.8 | 21.2 | 9.7 | 11.1 | |
Italy | 65,383 | 55.7 | 31.7 | 17.3 | 13.8 | 13.6 | |
Netherlands | 15,728 | 55.8 | 36.1 | 21.1 | 15.1 | 17.6 | |
Austria | 10,980 | 60.0 | 23.7 | 13.3 | 10.4 | 11.7 | |
Portugal | 11,218 | 51.1 | 14.1 | 7.7 | 6.4 | 5.1 | |
Sweden
5) | 12,270 | 65.2 | 10.3 | 8.9 | 1.5 | 7.3 | |
Spain | 23,480 | 33.4 | 11.8 | 8.8 | 3.1 | 4.0 | |
EU27
6) | 385,852 | 52.7 | 22.7 | 13.4 | 9.8 | 9.1 | |
2022
7) | Germany | 107,360 | 63.4 | 26.8 | 18.4 | 8.4 | 11.7 |
Belgium | 10,056 | 70.3 | 38.5 | 22.7 | 16.2 | 13.8 | |
Denmark | 5,837 | 56.7 | 9.8 | 7.5 | 5.2 | 5.8 | |
Finland | 6,053 | 61.5 | 41.7 | 22.0 | 19.7 | 27.0 | |
France | 32,830 | 57.4 | 30.5 | 18.3 | 17.1 | 11.4 | |
Ireland | 2,177 | 51.4 | 27.4 | 20.0 | 7.3 | 8.8 | |
Italy | 68,547 | 63.1 | 27.8 | 14.6 | 13.5 | 12.1 | |
Netherlands | 16,304 | 56.3 | 37.0 | 24.1 | 12.9 | 17.0 | |
Austria | 10,560 | 56.7 | 23.0 | 13.5 | 9.6 | 10.5 | |
Portugal | 10,466 | 47.4 | 15.5 | 8.2 | 7.3 | 5.8 | |
Sweden
5) | 9,167 | 57.6 | 23.6 | 14.7 | 8.9 | z | |
Spain | 23,894 | 35.1 | 12.8 | 9.2 | 3.7 | 4.0 | |
EU27
6) | 373,722 | 51.4 | 22.1 | 13.5 | 9.2 | z | |
Source: EUROSTAT, Datenbank Gemeinschaftliche Innovationserhebung 2018 bis 2022 (inn_cis_inrd; inn_cis_bas); German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies, calculations
Notes:
1) The Community Innovation Survey (CIS) is a European data collection that provides, among other things, information on the innovation activities of enterprises. Innovation-active enterprises are enterprises that have undertaken innovation activities during the preceding three-year period, irrespective of whether these activities resulted in the market introduction of new or improved products or the implementation of new or improved processes. Enterprises with innovation expenditure are enterprises that allocated financial resources to innovation activities in the current year.
2) Outsourcing of R&D activities.
3) As a percentage of all enterprises covered by the CIS.
4) Data of the Netherlands with different definition.
5) Data on enterprises performing R&D occasionally are of low reliability.
6) EU membership status as of February 2020 (excluding the United Kingdom).
7) Break in the time series, resulting in limited comparability with previous years.
z = Value not stated for reasons of confidentiality, but included in the total.
Last update: October 7, 2026
This work is licensed under a Data licence Germany attribution 2.0.
(https://www.govdata.de/dl-de/by-2-0)
(https://www.govdata.de/dl-de/by-2-0)