Wildfires have hit several European countries hard this year. By early August, 2026 was already the worst year in terms of area burnt in several countries. The EU aims to strengthen its capacity to respond to increasingly severe wildfire seasons.
Professional firefighters are at the heart of that response alongside firefighting aircraft and helicopters.
But which European countries have the most professional firefighters, and where do they account for the largest share of employment?
There were 372,400 professional firefighters in the EU in 2025, according to Eurostat. This represents 0.18% of the total employment in the EU.
This is the total number of firefighters. The data do not specify how many are specialised in fighting wildfires.
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Firefighters “prevent, fight and extinguish fires and assist in other emergencies, protect life and property and conduct rescue efforts” according to Eurostat. Forest firefighters are included in this category, while volunteer firefighters are not.
In general, countries with the largest populations and economies tend to have more professional firefighters.
As of 2025, Germany had the largest number of professional firefighters, with 57,700. France followed with 47,700, while Italy ranked third with 43,500.
Poland came in fourth with 40,000 professional firefighters, while Spain was close behind with 38,500.
There were around 187,400 professional firefighters in the EU’s Big Four economies: Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Together, they accounted for 50.3% of the EU total.
Romania and Greece also had over 20,000 professional firefighters, while Portugal and Czechia each had more than 16,000.
Cyprus and Estonia had the lowest numbers, with fewer than 2,000 professional firefighters each. However, Eurostat data do not cover five EU countries.
Greece and Croatia have the highest shares in employment
Looking at firefighters as a share of total employment, Greece (0.47%) and Croatia (0.43%) stand out with the highest rates. The figure is above 0.4% in both countries.
Portugal follows at 0.33%, while the EU average is just 0.18%.
The EU’s Big Four economies all have shares at or below the EU average: Italy at 0.18%, Spain at 0.17%, France at 0.16% and Germany at 0.14%.
National firefighter numbers provide only part of the picture. During severe wildfire seasons, countries can request personnel and equipment from elsewhere in Europe when their own resources are stretched.