The number of large companies in Greece jumped 26% between 2021 and 2024, rising from 570 to 719, according to figures from Eurostat. The data, updated on Wednesday, count businesses with 250 or more employees in industry, construction and market services.
The growth was steady. The total reached 656 in 2022 and 679 in 2023, which left Greece with 149 more large firms than it had three years earlier. Medium-sized firms with 50 to 249 employees also became more common, rising 23% from 4,284 to 5,258.
Few large firms produce 37% of Greek turnover and outpace the EU
These companies also grew in weight. Their combined workforce increased from 529,025 people to 631,797, and their net turnover rose 42%, from 113.6 billion euros ($128.7 billion) to 161.2 billion euros ($182.7 billion). That was a little faster than turnover across all Greek businesses, which rose 39% to 437.5 billion euros ($495.7 billion). Total employment in those businesses grew 12% to 3.63 million people.
Large firms still make up a very small share of businesses in Greece. They made up less than 0.1% of the 964,851 businesses counted in 2024, a total that itself grew almost 10% since 2021. Even so, they accounted for 17% of jobs and 37% of turnover in the sectors covered.
Across Europe, the number of large companies rarely jumped as sharply as it did in Greece. The EU total rose about 7%, to 54,762 in 2024 from an estimated 51,000 in 2021. Among EU countries with figures for both years, Greece posted the biggest increase.
Large companies in Greece saw faster growth than Ireland, Spain, and Italy
Ireland came closest, with a 22% rise from 783 to 958. Spain added 19%, going from 4,354 to 5,168, while Italy grew 13%, to 4,917 from 4,367. Germany has far more large companies than any other EU country, at 14,862, but its count rose only 5%.
Luxembourg moved the other way, with its total falling 5% to 223, and Sweden was nearly flat at 1,690. Iceland, which is not in the EU, had the steepest rise in the data at 36%, but from a base of only 56 firms.
Small businesses still dominate in Greece. Firms with fewer than 10 employees made up 94% of all businesses in 2024, or 909,779, and they employed about 1.6 million people. That is 44% of jobs, compared with about 30% across the EU.
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