Page 48 - guidance-supporting-europe-s-aspiring-entrepreneurs-policy-and-practice-to-harness-future-potential

Guidance supporting Europe’s aspiring entrepreneurs
Policy and practice to harness future potential

enjoy the benefits derived from being their own boss. According to Eurostat
(2010), there were over 30 million entrepreneurs in the European Union in 2009,
which represents an increase of nearly two million since 1999 (see Figure 3).
Italy has the highest number of entrepreneurs in Europe (5 million), followed by
Germany (4 million) and the UK (3.6 million).

Figure 3. Number of entrepreneurs across the EU-27 (figures indicated in
millions)

35

30 30.2 31.0 30.6
28.9 29.0 29.3
25
23.5 24.1 23.7

20 21.6 20.5 21.8 20.7 22.3 21.2 22.3 23.0 22.5 EU-27
EU-15
15 EU-12

10

5

0
1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009

Source: Eurostat, 2010.

Includes statistics for: a) Self-employed persons not employing any employees are
defined as persons who work in their own business, professional practice or farm for the
purpose of earning a profit, and who employ no other persons; and b) Employers
employing one or more employees are defined as persons who work in their own
business, professional practice or farm for the purpose of earning a profit, and who
employ at least one other person.

However, not all entrepreneurs become entrepreneurs out of choice. Many
are not the type who wishes to capitalise on an opportunity, but instead, they
have become entrepreneurs out of necessity. Though European countries have
low levels of necessity driven entrepreneurship in comparison to countries in
Africa and Asia, the recent financial crisis has prompted an increase in necessity-
driven entrepreneurial activity. In 2009, the share of necessity, as opposed to
opportunity driven entrepreneurs ranged between 7% and 32% across Europe
(Bosma and Levie, 2009) and a year later the figures for necessity driven

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