EU budget: Who pays the most into the EU, and who gains the most?

The EU enables EU countries to achieve more together than they could if they acted alone. Member states contribute to the EU budget and also receive funds from it. Some countries end up as net contributors, meaning they pay in more than they get back, while others are net beneficiaries, receiving more than they contribute. 

Of course, these receipts are not the only benefits of being an EU member. The joint budget reflects the EU’s principle of solidarity, enabling significant development across various fields within the bloc.

Which EU countries contribute the most to the EU budget, and which receive the most payments? Which member states are net contributors, and which are net beneficiaries? How do contributions and receipts vary on a per-person basis? Euronews Business takes a closer look at the EU budget.

According to the European Commission, in 2023, the EU’s “Big Four” were the largest contributors to the EU budget in 2023: Germany (€33.8bn), France (€25.8bn), Italy (€18.8bn), and Spain (€13.6bn).

Nine countries contributed less than €1bn to the EU budget in 2023, with the smallest contributions coming from Malta (€112m), Cyprus (€259m), and Estonia (€355m).

Among the beneficiaries, the top five included Poland alongside the EU’s “Big Four”. France received €16.5bn, followed by Poland (€14.1bn), then Germany (€14bn), Italy (€12.8bn), and Spain (€12.1bn).

At the bottom, three countries received less than €1bn from the EU budget: Malta (€277m), Cyprus (€393m), and Slovenia (€952m).

Ten countries are net contributors

Ten EU countries were net contributors, while 17 were net beneficiaries. The countries that contributed more to the EU budget than they received include:

• Germany (€19.8bn)
• France (€9.3bn)
• The Netherlands (€6.3bn)
• Italy (€6bn)
• Sweden (€1.6bn)
• Spain (€12.1bn)
• Austria (€1.3bn)
• Ireland (€1.3bn)
• Denmark (€1.2bn)
• Finland (€0.8bn)

Poland was the top net beneficiary, receiving €7.1bn, followed by Romania (€5.9bn), Belgium (€4.8bn), Hungary (€4.4bn) and Greece (€3.9bn).

Division: Contributors vs recipients

The map highlights the division of EU countries into net contributors and net recipients. Net contributors are primarily wealthier western and northern European countries whereas net recipients are mostly central and eastern European members.

Except for Belgium and Luxembourg, the geographic distribution also reveals an east-west economic divide, with newer member states from Eastern Europe often being net recipients.

Contributions and receipts per person

When we consider net contributors and recipients per person, the picture changes significantly due to the large variations in population sizes among EU member states.

In 2023, contributions to the EU budget per person ranged from €137 in Bulgaria to €688 in Luxembourg. 

Among the “Big Four”, each person in Germany contributed €403. That was followed by €378 in France, €318 in Italy and €281 in Spain.

The Netherlands tops net contributions per person

When looking at net contributions per person, the Netherlands topped the list in 2023, with each Dutch inhabitant contributing €350 more than they received.

Ireland followed with a net contribution of €240 per person, then Germany (€235), Denmark (€210), and Sweden (€156).

Among the Big Four, France had the lowest net contribution per person at €30, while it was €101 in Italy and €137 in Spain.

Luxembourg stands out as the top net Beneficiary per person

Net beneficiaries per person ranged from €129 in Slovenia to €3,081 in Luxembourg – an outlier – as the second-highest net beneficiary, Croatia, received €619 per person.

The three Baltic countries in the EU – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – each received over €500 in net receipts per person.

While Poland was the largest net recipient in nominal terms, it ranked third-lowest in net receipts per person, with €191 among the 17 net beneficiary countries.

While Luxembourg and Belgium are among the wealthier EU countries, they are also net recipients of EU funds as both countries host numerous EU institutions, such as the European Commission and the European Parliament. 

 For example, Belgium had a net receipt of €404 per person, which was higher than Bulgaria (€299) and Romania (€307).

Overall advantages of EU membership is more than this

A European Commission source emphasised that these figures do not reflect the advantages of participation in the shared European project or the added value of the EU budget. 

“The accounting benefits shown above cover only a small share of the overall advantages of EU membership”, the source told Euronews Business. 

“Expenditure that appears to go only to a member state may benefit several or all of them given strong spillovers of EU expenditure. Expenditure can also address a European public good that requires shared financing”, the source added.

According to the European Commission, the EU budget primarily serves as a tool for investment, complementing national budgets. Its main objective is to drive growth and enhance competitiveness across the entire EU.

The budget finances projects and initiatives focused on:

• developing rural areas and less-developed regions 

• protecting the environment 

• supporting EU education and research programmes 

• protecting the EU’s external borders 

• promoting international development  

• promoting human rights