A new breakdown of enterprises by group affiliation highlights the importance of their participation in larger enterprise groups for economic performance. This approach also enables a deeper understanding of the structure and significance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
In 2022, independent small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) accounted for 95.0% of all active enterprises across 13 countries (Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Norway). SMEs that were part of an enterprise group (dependent SMEs) comprised an additional 4.9% of all enterprises, while large enterprises made up the remaining 0.1%.
SMEs that are part of enterprise group, despite representing only 4.9% of all enterprises in these 13 countries, demonstrated a significant economic impact compared to independent ones. They employed 17.3% of employees and self-employed persons in these countries and accounted for 25.6% of wages and salaries, 28.9% of net turnover, 23.3% of value added and 22.4% of gross operating surplus. (....)