EU count of professional firefighters drops to 372,400 in 2025

European Union member states employed 372,400 professional firefighters in 2025, down from 390,600 recorded in 2024.

The 2025 workforce accounted for 0.18% of overall employment across the 27-nation bloc, Eurostat stated on Monday.

Fire services relied heavily on younger personnel, with 74.7% of all working firefighters under the age of 50, compared to a 64.4% average across general employment.

Greece recorded the highest share of firefighters in total employment at 0.47% among member states, followed by Croatia at 0.43% and Portugal at 0.33%.

The Netherlands posted the lowest proportion at 0.05%, while Austria and Sweden reported shares of 0.07% and 0.10%, respectively.