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.
