Cyprus continues to outperform the European Union average in youth employment, with Eurostat figures for 2025 highlighting the island’s resilience amid a broader shift toward self-employment across the bloc.

The figures were published ahead of World Creativity and Innovation Day on April 21, which aims to underline the role of innovation and creativity in economic and social development.

According to the latest report from the EU’s statistical office, young people across Europe are increasingly turning to self-employment, driven by a combination of creativity, innovation and economic necessity as workplaces evolve rapidly.

In 2025, 2.06 million people aged 20 to 29 in the European Union were self-employed, accounting for 7.9 per cent of all self-employed individuals aged 20 to 64.

In Cyprus, the number of self-employed young people aged 20 to 29 stood at approximately 3,800, while the same figure was recorded for the broader 15 to 29 age group, reflecting the country’s relatively small population size.

More broadly, the total number of self-employed persons aged 20 to 64 in Cyprus reached approximately 41,400 in 2025, compared with roughly 25.99 million across the EU and 20.38 million in the eurozone.

Across the bloc, the highest shares of young entrepreneurs among the self-employed population were recorded in Slovakia at 12.2 per cent, Malta at 10.5 per cent and Romania at 10.3 per cent.

At the lower end of the scale, Ireland recorded 5.1 per cent, Bulgaria 5.3 per cent and Spain 5.9 per cent, indicating more limited youth participation in self-employment in those countries.

In terms of employment, Cyprus outperformed the EU average in youth employment rates, with 72.3 per cent of people aged 20 to 29 in work in 2025, compared with 65.6 per cent across the EU.

This places Cyprus among the strong-performing countries in youth labour market participation, although it remains below the highest-ranking member states.

The Netherlands recorded the highest youth employment rate at 84.0 per cent, followed by Malta at 82.1 per cent and Germany at 77.0 per cent.

At the opposite end, Italy posted the lowest rate at 47.6 per cent, followed by Romania at 52.0 per cent and Bulgaria at 52.7 per cent.

Across the European Union, the youth employment rate increased by 6.3 percentage points between 2015 and 2025, signalling a gradual strengthening of labour market conditions for younger people.

The data also reflects the growing importance of skills, adaptability and entrepreneurship, as young individuals navigate a rapidly changing economic landscape shaped by technological transformation.

Although Cyprus’ youth self-employment figures remain modest in absolute terms, the country’s relatively high employment rate suggests a resilient labour market for younger age groups.

Indeed, Eurostat’s figures underline the dual trend of rising employment and evolving forms of work, with self-employment playing an increasingly visible role in how young people across Europe engage with the economy.