Research
AI Adoption Statistics for European Businesses 2026
AI adoption statistics for European businesses measure the share of enterprises that report using at least one artificial intelligence technology, such as text analysis, language generation or machine learning, in a survey reference year. Eurostat publishes the official EU series for enterprises with ten or more employees.
This page collects official figures on AI use by European enterprises and people. The core source is Eurostat's annual survey of enterprises with ten or more employees, read from its isoc_eb_ai dataset (last updated June 2026, reference years 2021 to 2025). Eurostat's survey of individuals, the UK Office for National Statistics and the Scottish Government add the person and UK view. Vendor surveys, forecasts and market-size estimates are not covered.
How many European enterprises use AI?
- #119.95%
In 2025, 19.95% of enterprises with ten or more employees in the EU used at least one artificial intelligence technology, according to Eurostat's enterprise ICT survey.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TANY, EU27 (2025). Share of all enterprises with 10 or more employees, excluding the financial sector. Dataset updated 15 June 2026.
- #213.48% to 19.95%
EU enterprise AI use rose from 13.48% in 2024 to 19.95% in 2025, a gain of about 6.5 percentage points in a single survey year.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TANY, EU27 (2025). Difference computed from the two published values; enterprises with 10 or more employees.
- #37.65% (2021), 8.06% (2023)
EU enterprise AI use stood at 7.65% in 2021 and 8.06% in 2023, so most of the growth to date happened in the two years after generative AI tools became widely known.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TANY, EU27 (2023). The published series has no 2022 value, so the 2021 to 2023 step spans two years.
- #479.09%
In 2025, 79.09% of EU enterprises with ten or more employees reported using none of the listed AI technologies, down from 87.13% in 2021.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TX, EU27 (2025). Complement of the adoption figure, as published by Eurostat.
- #555.03% large, 30.36% medium, 17.0% small
In 2025, 55.03% of large EU enterprises with 250 or more employees used AI, compared with 30.36% of medium-sized firms and 17.0% of small firms with 10 to 49 employees.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TANY, by size class (2025). Size classes by number of employees: 10 to 49, 50 to 249, and 250 or more.
Which European countries lead and lag in enterprise AI use?
- #642.03%
Denmark had the highest share of enterprises using AI among EU member states in 2025, at 42.03% of enterprises with ten or more employees.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TANY, by country (2025). Finland (37.82%) and Sweden (35.04%) follow. Norway, outside the EU, reports 28.89%.
- #725.97%
Germany, the largest EU economy, had 25.97% of enterprises using AI in 2025, about six percentage points above the EU average of 19.95%.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TANY, by country (2025). Enterprises with 10 or more employees; the gap to the EU figure is computed from the published values.
- #818.16% (FR), 16.4% (IT), 20.27% (ES)
France reported 18.16% of enterprises using AI in 2025 and Italy 16.4%, both below the EU average, while Spain reached 20.27%.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TANY, by country (2025). Enterprises with 10 or more employees.
- #933.21% (NL), 34.54% (BE)
The Netherlands and Belgium both exceeded one-third of enterprises using AI in 2025, at 33.21% and 34.54% respectively, among the top six EU member states.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TANY, by country (2025). Luxembourg (33.61%) also sits in this range.
- #105.21%
Romania had the lowest share of enterprises using AI among EU member states in 2025, at 5.21%, roughly one-quarter of the EU average and one-eighth of Denmark's rate.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TANY, by country (2025). Poland (8.36%) and Bulgaria (8.55%) are the next lowest. Ratios computed from published values.
What do European enterprises use AI for?
- #1111.75%
Text mining, meaning AI that analyses written language, was the most widely used AI technology among EU enterprises in 2025, at 11.75%, up from 2.48% in 2021.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TTM, EU27 (2025). Share of all enterprises with 10 or more employees, not of AI users.
- #129.55%
AI technologies that generate pictures, video or audio were used by 9.55% of EU enterprises in 2025, the first year Eurostat asked about this category.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TPVSG, EU27 (2025). No values exist for earlier years because the item was added in the 2025 questionnaire.
- #138.76%
AI generating written or spoken language or programming code was used by 8.76% of EU enterprises in 2025, up from 2.1% in 2023 and 5.41% in 2024.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TNLG, EU27 (2025). Eurostat's category covers language and code generation; it is not limited to chatbots.
- #146.92% marketing or sales
Among EU enterprises, 6.92% used AI for marketing or sales in 2025, compared with 4.14% for production processes and 3.94% for ICT security.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), purpose indicators E_AI_PMS, E_AI_PPP, E_AI_PITS (2025). Purposes are separate questions, so the shares are not additive. Enterprises with 10 or more employees.
- #155.1%
Only 5.1% of EU enterprises used machine learning for data analysis in 2025, far below the 11.75% using text analysis, despite machine learning's longer history.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_TML, EU27 (2025). Machine learning, such as deep learning, applied to data analysis; 2.44% in 2021.
What stops European enterprises from using AI?
- #167.76%
Lack of relevant expertise was the most cited reason for not using AI in the EU in 2025, named by 7.76% of all enterprises with ten or more employees.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_BLE, EU27 (2025). Percentage of all enterprises, not of non-users. It was 4.45% in 2023.
- #175.92%
Unclear legal consequences were cited as a reason for not using AI by 5.92% of EU enterprises in 2025, up from 2.95% in 2023.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_BLEG, EU27 (2025). Percentage of all enterprises with 10 or more employees, not of non-users.
- #185.82%
Concerns about violating data protection and privacy rules kept 5.82% of EU enterprises from using AI in 2025, nearly double the 2.75% recorded in 2023.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_BCDP, EU27 (2025). Percentage of all enterprises with 10 or more employees, not of non-users.
- #194.24%
Only 4.24% of EU enterprises named high cost as a reason for not using AI in 2025, below expertise, legal clarity and data protection concerns.
Eurostat, Enterprises using artificial intelligence technologies (isoc_eb_ai), indicator E_AI_BCST, EU27 (2025). Percentage of all enterprises with 10 or more employees, not of non-users.
How many Europeans and UK businesses use AI?
- #2033%
In 2025, 33% of people aged 16 to 74 in the EU had used generative AI tools in the previous three months, according to Eurostat's household survey.
Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence by individuals (Statistics Explained) (2025). First year Eurostat asked about AI in this survey. Article data extracted March 2026.
- #2148% (DK), 18% (RO)
Denmark had the highest share of individuals using generative AI in 2025 at 48%, while Romania had the lowest at 18%, Eurostat reports.
Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence by individuals (Statistics Explained) (2025). People aged 16 to 74 who used generative AI tools in the previous three months.
- #2264% vs 7%
Generative AI use in the EU in 2025 fell steeply with age, from 64% of people aged 16 to 24 to only 7% of those aged 65 to 74.
Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence by individuals (Statistics Explained) (2025). Use in the previous three months.
- #2364%
Among EU residents who had not used generative AI in 2025, 64% said the main reason was that they simply did not feel the need to.
Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence by individuals (Statistics Explained) (2025). Not being sure how to use the tools (14%) and privacy or security concerns (7%) ranked lower.
- #2430%
About 3 in 10 UK businesses (30%) reported using at least one AI technology in September 2026, up from 9% when the Office for National Statistics first asked in September 2023.
Office for National Statistics, Business insights and impact on the UK economy: 8 October 2026 (2026). Business Insights and Conditions Survey wave 165, weighted by count; the UK is outside the EU and uses a different survey.
- #2551%
In the UK, 51% of businesses with 250 or more employees reported using AI in September 2026, up 32 percentage points from 19% in September 2023.
Office for National Statistics, Business insights and impact on the UK economy: 8 October 2026 (2026). Official statistics in development; voluntary survey with a 25.7% response rate for wave 165.
- #2636.9%
In Scotland, 36.9% of businesses with ten or more employees used some form of AI in September 2026, and 75.5% in the information and communication sector.
Scottish Government, Business Insights and Conditions in Scotland (wave 165): 9 October 2026, Artificial intelligence (2026). Weighted estimates for businesses with a presence in Scotland; fieldwork 21 September to 4 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What share of European companies use AI in 2026?
The latest official EU figure is Eurostat's 2025 survey, which found 19.95% of enterprises with ten or more employees using at least one AI technology. No 2026 reference-year figure had been published as of October 2026. Adoption varies widely, from 42.03% in Denmark to 5.21% in Romania.
Which European country has the highest AI adoption among businesses?
Among EU member states Denmark ranks first, with 42.03% of enterprises with ten or more employees using AI in 2025, followed by Finland at 37.82% and Sweden at 35.04%. Norway, a non-EU European country, reported 28.89%. Romania, Poland and Bulgaria sit at the bottom of the EU table.
Do large or small European businesses adopt AI faster?
Large enterprises adopt faster in absolute terms. In 2025, 55.03% of EU enterprises with 250 or more employees used AI, against 30.36% of medium-sized firms and 17.0% of firms with 10 to 49 employees. Smaller firms did grow quickly, though, rising from 6.12% in 2021 to 17.0% in 2025.
Why do European companies say they do not use AI?
Eurostat's 2025 survey lists lack of expertise first, named by 7.76% of all enterprises, then unclear legal consequences at 5.92%, data protection concerns at 5.82% and cost at 4.24%. Legal and data protection concerns roughly doubled since 2023. The shares are of all enterprises, not only of non-users.