Regional yearbook foreword

The Eurostat regional yearbook provides statistics on the people, economy and environment for regions across the European Union (EU). National figures alone cannot reveal the full and sometimes complex picture of what is happening across the disparate regions of the EU.

This year, Eurostat celebrates the 70th anniversary since a European statistical service came into being; regional statistics have been published for more than 50 years. The coverage of regional statistics has expanded considerably since those early days, both in terms of topics covered and the number of countries for which information is released. This edition of the Eurostat regional yearbook includes data for 27 EU Member States, four EFTA countries, as well as eight candidate countries.

2023 is the European Year of Skills, which is designed to support individuals to get the right skills for quality jobs, while helping businesses – particularly small and medium-sized enterprises – address skills shortages. This initiative has the objective of contributing to a mindset where lifelong skills development is the norm. Having a workforce with in-demand skills is essential for long-term sustainable growth, innovation and competitiveness. It aims to ensure that those regions facing talent development deficits become more resilient and attractive. The actions and initiatives of the European Year of Skills reinforce the EU’s commitment to the green and digital transitions. In this year’s publication, several chapters unveil how different regions are performing with respect to this.

The Eurostat regional yearbook offers a set of indicators presented in the form of maps, figures and infographics; these have been designed to highlight regional variations and similarities. The publication is available online in Statistics Explained and in PDF format on Eurostat’s website. The latest data can be downloaded from Eurostat’s database, where more detailed and up-to-date statistics can be found.

I hope that you enjoy exploring the regions of the EU!

Mariana Kotzeva
Director-General, Eurostat