The European Union counted 20.2 million scientists and engineers in 2025, including 8.2 million women, according to figures Eurostat released November 10. The EU-wide share was 41%. The release describes the previous year’s workforce rather than employment measured in November 2026.

Île-de-France had the largest count of women among the broad regions Eurostat compared: 336,300. Women made up 38% of that region’s scientists and engineers. Spain’s Noreste, by comparison, had a lower count of 102,700 but a higher share at 51%.

Women accounted for more than half of the science and engineering workforce in ten of the regions studied, including four in Spain and two in Portugal. The comparison illustrates why a large workforce can put a region near the top by headcount even when its share is below the EU average.