Brussels: Europe and Arabs

In 2023, there were 362,400 professional firefighters in the European Union, representing 0.18% of total employment in the EU. Compared to 2022, the number of firefighters increased by 3,200 firefighters. According to figures released Friday morning by the European Statistical Office in Brussels, "Eurostat"

Of the 21 EU countries for which data is available, the highest proportion of firefighters in total employment was recorded in Croatia (0.49%), followed by Estonia and Greece (both 0.39%). The lowest proportions were recorded in the Netherlands (0.05%), Finland, Slovenia and Sweden (both 0.13%).
At the EU level, firefighters aged 30 to 49 years old accounted for 61% of all firefighters. Among them, the largest subgroups were those aged 40–44 (65,600 firefighters), followed by those aged 35–39 (59,100 firefighters).
EU governments spent €37.8 billion on fire protection services in 2022
In 2022, general government spending on “fire protection services” in the EU27 amounted to €37.8 billion, reflecting a 7.8% increase compared to 2021 (€35.1 billion).
The share of total EU general government spending devoted to fire protection services was 0.5%. Overall, government spending on fire protection services has remained stable at 0.5% of total spending since 2016.

In 2022, Denmark had the lowest share of spending on fire protection services, at 0.1% of total general government spending, followed by Malta, Slovenia, Portugal and Austria with 0.3% each.

In contrast, Romania had the highest share of spending on fire protection services, at 0.7% of total spending, followed by Greece, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia and the Czech Republic with 0.6% each.