With a commitment to sustainable and greener urban development, European cities are embracing smart city initiatives. These initiatives aim to make urban areas more efficient, environmentally friendly, and inclusive.

This data story dives into the three objectives for rural development under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), explaining the purpose of the objectives and illustrating how open data can be used to understand the state of play, make informed decisions, and track progress within the context of agricultural and rural development.

In the context of the EU's cohesion policy – funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, and the European Social Fund – hundreds of thousand projects are funded in each 7-year financing period. In this article we look at how we count thematic allocations reported to projects (operations) based on the detailed Intervention field data and we provide interactive charts to explore the data and themes.

This data story explores the impact of open data on regional development in Europe. Three real examples showcase how regional and local data can help regions thrive through initiatives that improve waste management, shed light on the cross-border labour market, and help in urban planning. By the end of this data story, you will see how regional and local data can support policy goals and the importance of open data to make it possible.

Data.europa.eu is the official portal for European data.

Regions and cities statistical theme overview.

Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union.

Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union.

Microdata are sets of records containing information on individuals, households or businesses. We use them in official statistics to produce aggregate information, usually in table format.

Access to confidential microdata is restricted to protect the anonymity of individuals or businesses. We grant access to our microdata for scientific purposes only.

Cohesion Open Data provides transparent data to EU taxpayers on the use of EU budget funds.
This platform visualises and provides open data on hundreds of national, regional and interregional programmes funded by the EU Budget.

Search and explore the wealth of data assets – datasets, databases, statistical products, reports and more – created or acquired by the European Commission DGs, services and executive agencies. Access via EU Login.

Explore inspiring stories about open data and related topics.

The European Statistical Monitor is updated every month with the latest available data for each indicator.

European Commission: Eurostat, Eurostat regional yearbook – 2025 edition, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2785/5478134

The 2025 Eurostat regional yearbook transforms statistical data into clear, engaging narratives. By providing reliable and accessible information, it empowers decision makers to craft thoughtful strategies that bridge regional divides, drive inclusive growth and enhance the quality of life across Europe. The yearbook is also a valuable resource for researchers and students in their enquiries and investigations – and generally for all those who are curious to learn more about Europe’s regions. The Eurostat regional yearbook 2025 provides a detailed picture relating to a broad range of statistical topics across the regions of the EU, EFTA and candidate countries.

Flagship publications offer an overview of Eurostat data on multiple topics relevant for society and policies.

'Regions in Europe' and other interactive publications present interactive data visualisation, accompanied by short texts on specific topics.

Eurostat produced harmonised statistics to compare and aggregate data from all EU member states. The statistical datasets cover the following themes:

EU policy indicators | General and regional statistics | Economy and finance | Population and social conditions | Industry, trade and services | Agriculture and fisheries | International trade | Transport | Environment and energy | Science, technology, digital society.

List of databases in Find-eR, European Commission library catalogue.

Search and explore the wealth of data assets – datasets, databases, statistical products, reports and more – created or acquired by the European Commission DGs, services and executive agencies. Access via EU Login.

Get access to your open data learning hub.

A contact form for your questions, requests and feedback.

Statistics Explained is an official Eurostat website presenting statistical topics in an easily understandable way. Together, the articles make up an encyclopedia of European statistics for everyone, completed by a statistical glossary clarifying all terms used and by numerous links to further information and the latest data and metadata, a portal for occasional and regular users.

Eurostat offers a multilingual user support service that will answer your questions about European statistics. Eurostat's press corner serves journalists and fact checkers. The institutional support service section is dedicated to the staff of EU Institutions, executive agencies and services.