Croatia ranks third in EU for foreign-controlled businesses

According to 2024 Eurostat data, Croatia ranks third in the European Union for the share of market-producing businesses under foreign control. With 5% of its manufacturing enterprises being foreign-controlled, Croatia follows only Luxembourg (28%) and Estonia (12%). This figure is significantly higher than the EU average of 1%.

While foreign-controlled businesses represent a small fraction of the total number of enterprises in the EU, they hold a substantial economic footprint, accounting for 16% of all employees and generating 24% of total value added across the bloc.

Ownership patterns show that 59% of these foreign-controlled businesses are owned by entities within other EU member states, while 41% are controlled by owners from outside the Union. The contribution to value added varies by country, with Ireland seeing the highest share at 72%, followed by Luxembourg at 62% and Slovakia at 50%.