AI & Tech Intelligence · Eurostat
Enterprise AI Adoption in Europe, by Country
How many companies actually use AI, by country: 28 European economies ranked on the share of enterprises using at least one AI technology (Eurostat 2025). Denmark leads at 42.0%; Sweden 35.0%, EU27 19.9%. With trend, technology and sector breakdowns. Free to cite, CC BY 4.0.
TL;DR — Denmark leads Europe: 42.0% of enterprises use at least one AI technology (2025). The Nordics take all three podium places.
Eurostat · Eurostat · Stanford HAI | 28 entities | 1,162 words · 13 sections | data: CSV + JSON
Executive summary
This report answers a question the model-and-compute league tables miss: how many companies actually use AI? Using Eurostat's official enterprise survey (isoc_eb_ain2, 2025), it ranks 28 European economies on the share of enterprises (10+ employees) using at least one AI technology, then breaks that down by year, by technology and by sector. Denmark leads at 42.0%, with the Nordics dominating the top of the table; the EU27 average is 19.9%. Sweden ranks 3 at 35.0% — roughly 1.8× the EU mean and ahead on every technology and sector measured. Adoption is accelerating sharply as generative-AI tools spread through offices. Every figure is official Eurostat data, dated and downloadable as CSV and JSON under CC BY 4.0.
“In 2025, 20.0% of EU enterprises with 10 or more employees used artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to conduct their business, showing a solid growth of 6.5 percentage points (pp) from 13.5% in 2024.”
Key findings
Denmark leads European AI adoption
42.0% of Denmark's enterprises use at least one AI technology — the highest in Europe and more than double the EU27 average of 19.9%. The Nordics occupy the top of the ranking.
Source: Eurostat · 2025 · confidence: High
Sweden runs ~2× the EU average
Sweden ranks 3 of 28 at 35.0%, about 1.8× the EU27 mean, and leads on every AI technology and in every sector Eurostat tracks — breadth of adoption, not a single hot spot.
Source: Eurostat · 2025 · confidence: High
Adoption is accelerating
The EU27 share of enterprises using AI rose from 13.5% to 19.9% in a single year, and Sweden's from 25.1% to 35.0% — a step-change led by generative-AI language tools.
Source: Eurostat · 2025 · confidence: High
Data vintage — 2025 survey
From Eurostat's Community survey on ICT usage in enterprises (isoc_eb_ain2), reference year 2025, covering enterprises with 10 or more persons employed. Eurostat revised its AI questionnaire for the 2024 survey, so 2024–2025 figures are the cleanest like-for-like comparison; 2021 and 2023 used a narrower AI definition and are shown for context only. Regenerates automatically as Eurostat publishes new years.
The ranking — AI adoption by country, 2025
Share of enterprises (10+ employees) using at least one AI technology, 2025 (Sweden highlighted). The EU27 average is 19.9%. All 28 economies are shown; the underlying data is downloadable below.
What the data reveals
AI adoption in Europe is a Nordic story at the top and a two-speed story overall. Denmark leads with 42.0% of enterprises using at least one AI technology, followed by Finland (37.8%) and Sweden (35.0%) — the Nordics take all three podium places. At the other end, Romania sits at 5.2% — a 36.8-point gap between the most and least AI-intensive economies in Europe.
Sweden is comprehensively ahead of the European average. At 35.0% it ranks 3 of 28 and runs about 1.8× the EU27 mean of 19.9%. Crucially, Sweden leads on every single AI technology Eurostat tracks and in every sector — this is breadth, not one hot spot.
Adoption is accelerating fast. Across the EU the share of enterprises using AI rose from 13.5% in 2024 to 19.9% in 2025 — a 6.4-point jump in a single year. In Sweden it climbed from 25.1% to 35.0% over the same window. Generative AI is the obvious driver: the technologies growing fastest are text mining and natural-language generation, exactly the capabilities ChatGPT-style tools put in every office.
What are firms actually using? The most common AI technology is text mining (11.8% of EU firms, 25.8% in Sweden). Text and language tasks dominate the top of the list, while capital-heavy physical AI — autonomous robots, self-driving systems — remains rare. AI in European business is, so far, mostly about words and data, not machines.
Adoption is wildly uneven by sector. In information & communication, 87.9% of Swedish firms use AI (EU 62.5%); in construction and transport it is a small fraction of that. AI diffusion tracks digital intensity — the sectors that were already software-heavy are pulling further ahead, which is why the aggregate national numbers hide enormous within-economy variation.
The takeoff — how fast adoption is rising
AI adoption in Sweden (orange) against the EU27 average (grey), 2021–2025. Both climbed steeply in the last two years as generative-AI tools spread. Note that Eurostat revised its AI questions for the 2024 survey, so the 2024→2025 step is the cleanest like-for-like comparison — but the direction is unmistakable across the series.
Which AI technologies firms actually use
The AI technologies Swedish enterprises use most, 2025 (with the EU27 comparison in the table). Text and language tasks — text mining, natural-language generation — top the list; capital-heavy physical AI (autonomous robots, self-driving) remains rare. Sweden leads the EU on every technology.
| AI technology | EU27 | Sweden | SE vs EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text mining | 11.8% | 25.8% | +14.0 |
| AI for physical/vision tasks | 9.6% | 18.7% | +9.1 |
| Natural-language generation | 8.8% | 19.7% | +10.9 |
| Speech recognition | 7.2% | 10.6% | +3.4 |
| Process automation (RPA) | 5.3% | 8.8% | +3.5 |
| Machine learning / deep learning | 5.1% | 8.8% | +3.7 |
| Image recognition | 3.8% | 4.9% | +1.1 |
| Autonomous robots / self-driving | 1.4% | 1.1% | +-0.3 |
AI adoption by sector
AI adoption varies enormously by industry. Information & communication leads by a distance (87.9% of Swedish firms, EU 62.5%), while construction and transport trail. Adoption tracks digital intensity — software-heavy sectors are pulling further ahead. Sweden leads the EU average in every sector shown.
| Sector | EU27 | Sweden | SE vs EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information & communication | 62.5% | 87.9% | +25.4 |
| Professional, scientific & technical | 40.4% | 64.9% | +24.5 |
| Real estate | 24.8% | 56.4% | +31.6 |
| Administrative & support | 19.9% | 31.6% | +11.7 |
| Wholesale & retail | 18.6% | 33.1% | +14.5 |
| Energy, water & waste | 18.2% | 44.0% | +25.8 |
| Manufacturing | 17.3% | 32.9% | +15.6 |
| Accommodation & food | 12.0% | 23.7% | +11.7 |
| Transport & storage | 11.2% | 12.2% | +1.0 |
| Construction | 10.8% | 14.9% | +4.1 |
Full ranking — 28 economies
Every European economy in the Eurostat survey, ranked by the share of enterprises using at least one AI technology, 2025. The EU27 average is 19.9%.
| # | Country | Firms using AI | Bloc |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 42.0% | Nordic |
| 2 | Finland | 37.8% | Nordic |
| 3 | Sweden | 35.0% | Nordic |
| 4 | Belgium | 34.5% | — |
| 5 | Luxembourg | 33.6% | — |
| 6 | Netherlands | 33.2% | — |
| 7 | Austria | 29.9% | — |
| 8 | Norway | 28.9% | Nordic |
| 9 | Germany | 26.0% | — |
| 10 | Estonia | 23.4% | — |
| 11 | Slovenia | 21.6% | — |
| 12 | Malta | 21.5% | — |
| 13 | Lithuania | 21.3% | — |
| 14 | Spain | 20.3% | — |
| 15 | Ireland | 19.6% | — |
| 16 | France | 18.2% | — |
| 17 | Slovakia | 18.0% | — |
| 18 | Czechia | 17.6% | — |
| 19 | Italy | 16.4% | — |
| 20 | Croatia | 15.2% | — |
| 21 | Latvia | 12.2% | — |
| 22 | Portugal | 11.5% | — |
| 23 | Hungary | 10.4% | — |
| 24 | Cyprus | 9.3% | — |
| 25 | Greece | 8.9% | — |
| 26 | Bulgaria | 8.6% | — |
| 27 | Poland | 8.4% | — |
| 28 | Romania | 5.2% | — |
Limitations & notes
This measures adoption — whether a firm uses at least one AI technology — not intensity, spend or impact. A company counts the same whether AI is core to its product or used once in a marketing tool. The survey covers enterprises with 10 or more employees, so micro-firms and the smallest startups are out of scope, and it captures formal enterprise adoption rather than individual employees quietly using consumer AI tools.
Eurostat redesigned its AI questionnaire for the 2024 reference year — the list of AI technologies changed — so figures from 2021 and 2023 use a narrower definition and are not strictly comparable with 2024–2025. We show the earlier years for directional context and flag the break. All figures are official Eurostat estimates with the usual survey sampling uncertainty; the full data is downloadable and reproducible below.
Scoreboard (machine-readable data)
Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
| Indicator | Value | Period | Source | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 42 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Finland | 37.8 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Sweden | 35 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Belgium | 34.5 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Luxembourg | 33.6 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Netherlands | 33.2 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Austria | 29.9 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Norway | 28.9 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Germany | 26 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Estonia | 23.4 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Slovenia | 21.6 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Malta | 21.5 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Lithuania | 21.3 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Spain | 20.3 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Ireland | 19.6 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| France | 18.2 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Slovakia | 18 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Czechia | 17.6 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Italy | 16.4 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Croatia | 15.2 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Latvia | 12.2 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Portugal | 11.5 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Hungary | 10.4 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Cyprus | 9.3 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Greece | 8.9 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Bulgaria | 8.6 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Poland | 8.4 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
| Romania | 5.2 pct | 2025 | Eurostat | High |
Methodology & verification
Source: Eurostat, Community survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises (dataset isoc_eb_ain2), reference year 2025, CC BY 4.0. The headline indicator is the share of enterprises with 10 or more persons employed that use at least one of the AI technologies Eurostat tracks (machine learning, natural-language generation, text mining, speech and image recognition, process automation, autonomous robots and physical/vision AI), across all activities except agriculture, mining and the financial sector. Technology and sector breakdowns use the same indicator sliced by AI technology and NACE Rev. 2 activity. Eurostat revised the AI questionnaire for 2024, so 2024–2025 is the like-for-like window. Nothing is estimated by Affärslivet; every value is an official Eurostat figure. Confidence: High.
Data dictionary
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| country | string | European economy (Eurostat geo) |
| value | number | % of enterprises (10+ employees) using ≥1 AI technology |
| period | string | Survey reference year |
Frequently asked questions
Which country in Europe uses AI the most?
Denmark, where 42.0% of enterprises use at least one AI technology in 2025 — the highest in Europe, ahead of Finland (37.8%) and Sweden (35.0%). The EU27 average is 19.9%. Source: Eurostat.
What share of EU companies use AI?
About 19.9% of EU enterprises with 10 or more employees used at least one AI technology in 2025, up from 13.5% in 2024 — a sharp one-year rise driven by generative-AI tools. Source: Eurostat (isoc_eb_ain2).
How does Sweden compare on AI adoption?
Sweden ranks 3 of 28 in Europe, with 35.0% of enterprises using AI in 2025 — roughly 1.8× the EU27 average of 19.9%. Sweden leads the EU on every AI technology and in every sector Eurostat tracks. Source: Eurostat.
What AI technologies do companies use most?
Text and language tasks dominate: the most common is text mining (11.8% of EU firms, 25.8% in Sweden), followed by natural-language generation and other language tools. Physical AI such as autonomous robots remains rare (a few percent). Source: Eurostat.
Which industries use AI the most?
Information & communication leads by far (87.9% of Swedish firms, EU 62.5%), followed by professional, scientific & technical services. Construction, transport and hospitality trail. AI adoption closely tracks a sector's existing digital intensity. Source: Eurostat.
Which countries rank in the top 5 of the Enterprise AI Adoption in Europe, by Country?
The top five are Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg, based on the Enterprise AI Adoption in Europe, by Country (Affärslivet, 2026-08-01).
Where does Sweden rank in the Enterprise AI Adoption in Europe, by Country?
Sweden ranks #3 of 28 (35.0%) in the Enterprise AI Adoption in Europe, by Country, as of 2026-08-01. Source: Affärslivet.
How many countries are ranked in the Enterprise AI Adoption in Europe, by Country?
28 economies are included in the Enterprise AI Adoption in Europe, by Country (2026-08-01). Full data is free to download as CSV or JSON under CC BY 4.0.
Glossary
- Enterprise AI adoption
- The share of enterprises that use at least one artificial-intelligence technology, as measured by official statistical surveys — a proxy for how widely AI has diffused through the real economy. ↗
- isoc_eb_ain2
- The Eurostat dataset recording AI use by enterprises across the EU and EFTA, part of the annual Community survey on ICT usage in enterprises. ↗
- NACE Rev. 2
- The EU's standard classification of economic activities, used here to break AI adoption down by sector. ↗
- Percentage points (pp)
- The arithmetic difference between two percentages; a rise from 13% to 20% is a 7-percentage-point increase. ↗
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APA
Affärslivet Research. (2026). Enterprise AI Adoption in Europe, by Country. Affärslivet. Version 1.0. https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/enterprise-ai-adoption-europe
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BibTeX
@techreport{affarslivet_enterprise_ai_adoption_europe,
title = {Enterprise AI Adoption in Europe, by Country},
author = {{Affärslivet Research}},
year = {2026},
note = {Version 1.0},
url = {https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/enterprise-ai-adoption-europe}
} License CC BY 4.0 — free to cite, embed and republish with attribution to Affärslivet. Data also as CSV / JSON.
Sources
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