European Union professional firefighter numbers reach 372,400

Eurostat data reveals that the European Union employed 372,400 professional firefighters in 2025, representing 0.18 percent of the total EU workforce. The figures include forest firefighters but exclude volunteers.

There are significant disparities in firefighting capacity across member states. Germany maintains the highest number of professional firefighters with 57,700, followed by France (47,700), Italy (43,500), Poland (40,000), and Spain (38,500). Together, these four nations account for over half of the EU's professional firefighting force.

When measured as a proportion of total employment, Greece holds the highest share at 0.47 percent, followed closely by Croatia at 0.43 percent. In contrast, Germany has a lower proportion at 0.14 percent. These capacity variations come at a time when climate change is increasing wildfire risks, spreading them beyond Mediterranean regions to countries such as the Czech Republic, Germany, and Sweden.