The European medical technology industry employs directly more than 850,000 people1. Germany had the highest absolute number of people employed in the medical technology sector, while the number of medical technology employees per capita is highest in Ireland and Switzerland. In comparison, the European pharmaceutical industry employs around 865,000 people2.
The jobs created by the medical technology industry account for around 0.3% of total employment in Europe1,3. These jobs are also highly productive, as the value added per employee is estimated to reach around €184,000 per employee. These indicators show that the medical technology industry has an important economic and societal impact in Europe.
There are more than 35,000 medical technology companies in Europe. The highest number of them are based in Germany, followed by Italy, the UK, France and Switzerland. Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) make up around 92% of the medical technology industry, the majority of which employs less than 50 people (small and micro-sized companies).