The European Central Bank reports a 2.62% decline in bank offices and 0.80% in employees across the EU by the end of 2025, with sector concentration varying significantly among member states.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has updated its dataset of structural financial indicators for the banking sector in the European Union (EU) to the end of 2025. This annual dataset includes statistics on the number of bank offices, employees, and sector concentration within each Member State.
The data shows a further decline in the number of bank offices in the EU by 2.62%. Decreases were observed in 23 of the 27 countries, ranging from -0.2% to -12.16%. The total number of offices in the EU was 122,889 at the end of 2025, with 86.13% located in the euro area.
The number of bank employees decreased by 0.80% at the EU level, with 16 of the 27 Member States experiencing a decline during 2025.
The data also indicates that the degree of banking sector concentration, measured by the share of assets held by the five largest credit institutions, continues to vary widely across EU countries. The share of total assets held by these institutions ranged from 34.37% to 95.2%, with an EU average of 69.33% at the end of 2025.
The ECB publishes these structural financial indicators annually. For further information, media inquiries can be directed to Benoit Deeg at +49 172 168 3704.
