Which European countries get the most EU funding per inhabitant?

Small countries lead

Seven of the ten EU countries at the top have fewer than six million inhabitants: Estonia, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Denmark, Latvia, Finland and Slovenia. A handful of universities, research centres and public bodies that are very active in European projects is enough to put a small country at the top.

The largest countries sit below the EU average

Across the EU, the average is €398 per inhabitant. Germany (€319), France (€339) and Italy (€270) are all below it, Spain (€375) is close. Belgium (€1,015) and the Netherlands (€737) stand out among the larger members.

The gap with the newer member states is still there

The 13 countries that joined the EU since 2004 are home to 22.5% of its population, and receive 15.8% of this money. Poland (€206), Hungary (€157) and Romania (€141) close the EU ranking. Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia and Cyprus show that it is not a question of geography.

Compare countries

Pick a country, then the whole country or one of its regions, to see where the money comes from and who receives it. The same country can appear in several columns.

Inside each country, the capital takes the lion's share

The national figure hides large gaps between regions. Île-de-France receives 60% of the French total with 18% of the population. In Belgium, Wallonia is home to 31% of Belgians and receives 11% of the money. Between provinces the gap is wider still: in Wallonia (BE), Walloon Brabant receives €1,243 per inhabitant, the province of Luxembourg €16. Choose “By region” in the ranking above to see the regions of any country.

What these figures do and do not say

• Money is counted where the beneficiary is registered, not where the work is done. Head offices and European associations, often based in capitals, raise some figures.
• Read the Brussels-Capital Region with care. Brussels hosts the EU institutions and many European associations and networks, which coordinate projects and receive money that is then spent across Europe. For example, its largest recipient is the COST Association (€533 m), which funds research networks across Europe.
• Only programmes managed directly by the Commission are included. Interreg and the funds managed by national and regional authorities (ERDF, ESF+, CAP) are not.
• The programmes cover several periods, from 2003 to 2027. Horizon Europe and the other 2021-2027 programmes are still running, so their totals keep growing.
• Switzerland was not associated with Horizon Europe until 2025, which weighs on its figure.
• Sources: EU Funding & Tenders Portal (projects), Eurostat (population on 1 January 2025, NUTS 2024 regions), World Bank (2025 population of the United Kingdom, Israel and Ukraine). Analysis: Subalta.