02 Jun 2026
Women account for 53% of workforce in science and technology
Latest figures published by Eurostat show that women make up the majority of EU science and technology workforce in 2025, but remain underrepresented as scientists and engineers.
In 2025, more than 81.6 million people aged 15 to 74 were employed in science and technology in the EU, up 1.8% from 2024, or 1.5 million more people. Compared with 2015, the total increased by 25.3%.
Women made up 52.5% of all people employed in science and technology, with 42.8 million working mainly in service activities. Their number rose by 2.3% compared with 2024 and by 27.9% over the past decade, an increase of more than 9.3 million.
At regional level, the highest shares of women in science and technology were recorded in Latvia (62.4%), the Hungarian region of Great Plain and North (61.1%), and Estonia (60.5%).
Scientists and engineers represented 24.8% of all people employed in science and technology in the EU. Germany had the largest number, employing 4.2 million scientists and engineers.
Despite women forming a majority in the wider science and technology workforce, they remained underrepresented among scientists and engineers, accounting for 40.8% in 2025. This share increased only slightly over the past 10 years, although the number of women in these occupations rose sharply from 5.3 million in 2015 to 8.2 million in 2025.
For more information: