Women made up 41% of scientists and engineers in the European Union in 2025, according to [Eurostat](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20261110-2), the bloc's statistical office. Of the 20.2 million people working in those occupations last year, 8.2 million were women. The figures, released on 10 November, show steady growth in numbers but only slow change in the overall share. The number of women in science and engineering rose by 54.4% over a decade, from 5.3 million in 2015 to 8.2 million in 2025, yet their share edged up by just half a percentage point, from about 40.3% to 40.8%, according to [CEO Magazine Poland](https://ceo.com.pl/en/women-scientists-engineers-eu-poland-2025/), reporting the Eurostat data. ## Paris region employs the most women scientists The French capital region of Île-de-France employed the largest number of female scientists and engineers of any major EU region, with 336,300 women, or 38% of its workforce in these occupations. It was followed by North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany with 281,400 (35%), Este in Spain with 279,400 (46%), the western Netherlands with 271,600 (40%), Bavaria with 271,100 (35%) and mainland Portugal with 265,100 (46%). ## Ten regions where women are in the majority In 10 EU regions, women accounted for more than half of all scientists and engineers in 2025. Most were in southern Europe: four regions in Spain, two in Portugal and one in Greece. The others were Poland's central macroregion, the northernmost region of Sweden and France's outermost regions. The largest workforce in this group was in Noreste, Spain, where 102,700 women made up 51%. The picture differs across the broader science and technology workforce, where women form a majority: 42.8 million of 81.6 million workers, or 52.5%. Eurostat's category also includes selected medical occupations and ICT specialists, so it is not confined to laboratory researchers.