by croatiaweek
October 9, 2026
in
Zagreb
ZAGREB, 9 October 2026 (Hina/Ozren Špiranec) – Croatia ranks third in the European Union for the share of market-producing businesses under foreign control, according to new Eurostat data for 2024.
Foreign-controlled businesses accounted for 5% of market-producing enterprises in Croatia, placing the country behind only Luxembourg and Estonia, where the shares stood at 28% and 12%, respectively.
The figures, published by Eurostat on Thursday, show that foreign-controlled businesses accounted for an average of just 1% of market-producing enterprises across the EU.
Poland and Italy recorded the lowest shares, at 0.3% each, while all other EU member states apart from Luxembourg and Estonia had shares of 5% or less.
Despite representing only 1% of market-producing enterprises across the EU, foreign-controlled businesses have a significantly larger economic footprint.
They employed 16% of all employed and self-employed people working in the enterprises covered by the data and generated 24% of their total value added.
Their contribution to value added varied considerably between member states. Ireland recorded the highest share, at 72%, followed by Luxembourg at 62% and Slovakia at 50%.
At the other end of the scale, foreign-controlled businesses accounted for 15% of value added in France and 18% in both Italy and Germany.
Their contribution to employment also differed across the bloc. In Luxembourg, foreign-controlled businesses accounted for 45% of employment among the enterprises covered by the research.
Ireland, Slovakia and Romania each recorded a share of 28%.
The lowest proportions were reported in Greece, at 8%, followed by Cyprus and Italy, at 10% each.
Most foreign-controlled businesses are owned within the EU
Eurostat data also shows that 59% of foreign-controlled businesses operating across the EU were controlled by owners based in another EU member state.
The remaining 41% were controlled by owners from countries outside the bloc.
The figures highlight the role of cross-border ownership in the European economy, where foreign-controlled businesses account for a relatively small proportion of enterprises but contribute substantially to employment and economic output.
Eurostat notes that the statistics cover only market producers, businesses that sell most or all of their goods and services on the market. They do not cover every type of business or economic entity operating in each country.
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