European Union
2024
EURICSE, CIRIEC, Spatial Foresight and others
The report, commissioned by the European Commission, provides a comprehensive overview of the socio-economic performance of the social economy in the EU, highlighting that over 4.3 million entities employ at least 11.5 million people, representing 6.3% of total employment and generating a turnover exceeding €912 billion. The social economy encompasses cooperatives, mutual societies, associations, foundations, and social enterprises, with associations being the most prevalent. Key employment sectors include health/social care, education, and arts/culture. The report identifies challenges in data availability and comparability across Member States and notes varying levels of recognition and understanding of the social economy concept. It aims to enhance data collection and representation of the social economy at both national and EU levels, emphasizing the need for further statistical development to support policymaking and public understanding.
This report summarizes the findings of a major study on the socio-economic performance of the social economy in the European Union, conducted in 2024 by researchers from EURICSE, CIRIEC, and Spatial Foresight. Some key findings include:
- There are over 4.3 million social economy entities in the EU, employing at least 11.5 million people (6.3% of total employment) and generating turnover of over €912 billion.
- The social economy includes cooperatives, mutual societies, associations, foundations, and social enterprises. Associations are the most numerous (3.8 million), followed by cooperatives (240,000).
- An estimated 246,000 social enterprises exist, of which about 43,000 are legally recognized and 203,000 are de facto.
- Employment is highest in associations (6.2 million) and cooperatives (3.3 million). At least 3.3 million are employed in health/social care, 702,000 in education, and 622,000 in arts/culture/entertainment.
- Data availability and comparability remain challenging across countries. Only a few Member States have comprehensive national statistics on the social economy.
- Recognition and understanding of the social economy concept varies greatly between countries, with stronger traditions in some Western European nations.
- The study aimed to improve data collection and representation of the social economy at national and EU levels, working closely with researchers in all 27 Member States.
The report provides the most comprehensive overview to date of the size and scope of the EU social economy, while highlighting areas for further statistical development. It was commissioned as part of the European Commission's 2021 Social Economy Action Plan.
Citations: [1] https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/14348946/4f9799c9-2ac4-4961-ac16-7da5c199e07a/benchmarking-the-socio-economic-performance-of-the-EA0224285ENN.pdf [2] https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/14348946/4f9799c9-2ac4-4961-ac16-7da5c199e07a/benchmarking-the-socio-economic-performance-of-the-EA0224285ENN.pdf