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There are now more people working in public relations than in journalism across Europe. We tracked 14 markets over eleven years using Eurostat Labour Force Survey data. This page contains the main findings; the full report is free to download.
The headline number
In 2025 the combined PR-to-journalist ratio across the 14 markets reached 1.16. In 2020 it was 0.78, and in 2015 it was 0.69.
Most of that movement came from the PR side. Between 2020 and 2025, PR workforces grew from roughly 301,000 to over 540,000, an increase of around 80%. Journalist headcount went from about 385,000 to 467,000 and has been broadly flat since 2021.
Eleven years or European data
In 2025 the combined PR-to-journalist ratio across the 14 markets reached 1.16. In 2020 it was 0.78, and in 2015 it was 0.69.
Most of that movement came from the PR side. Between 2020 and 2025, PR workforces grew from roughly 301,000 to over 540,000, an increase of around 80%. Journalist headcount went from about 385,000 to 467,000 and has been broadly flat since 2021.
Where each market sits
Country by country
Country Below is each market in order of ratio, from highest to lowest, with 2025 figures unless stated otherwise. The ratio on its own says little about how easy a market is to work in: a low ratio can mean a deep newsroom, as in Germany, or simply a small PR sector, as in Spain. The notes indicate which of the two applies.
France — 3.95.
The steepest ratio in the dataset. The PR workforce grew from 63,947 in 2015 to 239,661 in 2025, while journalist numbers stayed around 60,700. That works out to nearly four PR professionals per working journalist.
Belgium — 2.56.
The sharpest single-year movement in the data, up from 1.65, with the PR workforce growing an estimated 63% in twelve months. Brussels accounts for part of this: public affairs, lobbying and EU-facing communications all fall under the same occupation code as corporate PR. 7,543 journalists and 19,281 PR professionals.
Netherlands — 1.91.
The Dutch market crossed parity early and has stayed above it. The 2025 figure is down from 2.14 in 2024, but there are still close to two PR professionals per journalist. The PR workforce grew to 53,651 while journalist numbers held around 28,000. For Dutch companies this means a well-developed PR sector working a relatively small newsroom market, which is why domestic launches usually need international amplification to travel.
Czech Republic — 1.65.
The strongest PR build-up in Central Europe, reached gradually rather than through sudden jumps. A young agency scene, strong tech and energy sectors, and a comparatively small national newsroom all contribute. 10,475 journalists and 17,250 PR professionals.
Sweden — 1.45.
Parity arrived in 2020 and the ratio has stayed above 1.0 every year since, with steady PR growth and a slowly shrinking newsroom workforce. 19,628 journalists and 28,512 PR professionals.
Portugal — 1.21.
Moved above parity in 2023. PR growth follows Lisbon's startup activity; journalist headcount has held flat. 5,690 journalists and 6,869 PR professionals.
Lithuania — 1.08.
Just above parity, and one of the smaller markets in the dataset, so the figure is better treated as an indicator than a conclusion.
Finland — 0.99.
Effectively at parity, and the most balanced market we measured. Public-service broadcasting and a dense local press keep newsroom headcount stable, and PR growth has been steady rather than rapid. 7,111 journalists and 7,028 PR professionals.
United Kingdom — 0.84.
The only market moving against the trend, down from 1.07 in 2024. UK figures come from a different source than the EU data, so the trendline is more reliable than the absolute level. Roughly 94,000 journalists and 79,000 PR professionals.
Italy — 0.77.
Broadly stable across the decade. A relatively large journalist workforce and a fragmented regional press keep earned media volume achievable. Trade unions, the professional register and a public broadcaster of significant scale all sustain demand for editorial material. 43,955 journalists and 33,652 PR professionals.
Austria — 0.68.
A deep newsroom relative to PR supply, with slow growth in PR headcount. The Vienna press corps is tightly networked, and ORF, the regional dailies and the trade titles still set the agenda. 9,633 journalists and 6,554 PR professionals.
Spain — 0.43.
The lowest-ratio market in Southern Europe. A large, regionally spread journalist workforce sits alongside a modest PR sector, and the balance has barely shifted since 2015. Madrid and Barcelona dominate, but Bilbao, Valencia and Seville carry real weight. 41,697 journalists and 17,792 PR professionals.
Germany — 0.43.
The largest counter-trend in Europe, with more than two journalists per PR professional. 146,310 journalists work alongside roughly 62,913 PR professionals. The DACH newsroom is comparatively deep and also fragmented: regional dailies, public broadcasters and trade press all command substantial reach. The practical constraint in Germany is journalist time rather than journalist numbers.
Denmark — 0.34.
The lowest ratio in the dataset, at roughly three journalists per PR professional. Strong public-service broadcasting, established union structures and a culture of editorial independence keep newsroom headcount high per capita.
PR professionals per 100,000 inhabitants
Ratios describe the balance between the two professions. Per-capita figures describe how much PR activity a market contains.
What this means for PR teams
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- Competition for journalist attention has increased substantially in five years. In a market at 1.16, each pitch competes with more senders for the same number of inboxes.
- Journalist numbers held up, but the number of stories any newsroom can produce did not increase at the same rate.
- A single European approach will underperform. A strategy calibrated for Denmark behaves differently in France, and vice versa.
- Germany, Spain, Italy and Denmark still have more journalists than PR professionals. Access in those markets depends more on relevance and craft than on volume.
- In France, Belgium and the Netherlands, the volume of competing outreach means differentiation matters more than reach.
Methodology and sources
All EU figures come from the Eurostat Labour Force Survey, using annual averages of quarterly data requested directly from Eurostat Media Support (dataset R25737, April 2026). Journalists are measured via ISCO-08 occupation code 2642 and PR professionals via code 2432. The ratio is n(2432) / n(2642), across 14 markets, 2015–2025.
Two caveats. Code 2642 includes editors, critics and photojournalists as well as reporters, and relies on self-declared main occupation, so absolute numbers may overstate the pure journalist population by an estimated 30–40% depending on how narrowly journalism is defined nationally. UK figures come from the ONS Annual Population Survey using SOC2020 codes and are not directly comparable with the Eurostat data.
The figures are most reliable as a measure of trend and for comparison between countries.
Download the full report
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