A comparison of the EU boating industry: Scandinavia has the highest density of boats, Germany scores highly for harbours
Fabian Boerger
· 28.12.2025
The Finns have topped the United Nations World Happiness Report for the eighth time in a row. Scientists explain this with trust: People trust each other, their institutions and society as a wholes. But couldn't this happiness also be linked to something else - perhaps the astonishingly high density of boats in the country?
At least that's what you might assume if you look at the figures from a recent EU study. You takes a close look at Europe's fragmented driving licence regulations and shows how the system can be simplified. Data from the 27 EU member states plus Norway, Switzerland and the UK serve as the statistical basis.
The overview shows how the boating industry is structured in the individual countries - and makes it clear who would be affected by changes to the driving licence system. The list ranges from boat owners to marinas, shipyards and repair companies.
- You can find the whole study here.
Plenty of space for sailing
Interesting are, for example, the statistics on Number of pleasure craft in each country. The researchers correlate these figures with various factors - such as the potential sailing area per boat. This refers to the area of a country that could theoretically be used for sailing. It is calculated by multiplying the coastline - inland and sea waters - by one nautical mile.
Slovenia and France perform particularly well, followed by Belgium and the Netherlands. Germany is in the front midfield. The Scandinavian countries fall surprisingly far behind - even though they have by far the longest coastlines. The ratio is explained by the comparatively small population: few boaters are spread over huge areas of water.
Finland with the most recreational craft
Looking at the statistics, which Boats with the population density it is noticeable that the Scandinavian countries are in the lead:
- Finland132 boats per 10,000 inhabitants
- Norway148.3 boats per 10,000 inhabitants
- Sweden82 boats per 10,000 inhabitants
Germany is further down the rankings with 5.7 boats per 10,000 inhabitants. Broken down by motorised and sailing boats, the distribution is as follows:
Germany and the marinas
Overall, it can be said that Germany is in the middle of the pack when it comes to the number of recreational boats. According to ICOMIA, the international umbrella organisation for the boating industry, there are around 480,000 recreational craft in Germany. The EU study is largely based on these figures. 194,000 of these are sailing boats - that is forty per cent. The remaining sixty per cent, or 286,000, are motorboats.
Where Germany can score points is in the Number of marinas in relation to the potential sailable area. Together with Belgium, Germany is in the lead here:
Exports and jobs
With the Export figures Italy dominates the boat industry. Of the 10.5 billion euro export volume for boats, 31 per cent comes from the Mediterranean country. The Netherlands follows with 26 per cent, Germany with eleven per cent and France with ten per cent.
Also as Employer Italy leads the way: 10,338 people work in the recreational boating industry there - more than in any other EU country. France employs 9,039 people, Germany 8,829, Poland 7,931 and the Netherlands 5,494. In total, around 32,000 jobs across Europe are linked to the industry.
If you focus on the Number of boat buildersthe following picture emerges in an EU comparison:
Finland leads in boat density, Italy in exports
To summarise, the EU study reveals surprising differences in Europe's boating industry. While Scandinavia leads in terms of boat density per inhabitant - Finland tops the list with 132 boats per 10,000 inhabitants - Italy dominates economically with a 31 per cent export share and the most jobs in the boating industry. Germany is in the lower midfield with 5.7 boats per 10,000 inhabitants, but scores with a high marina density.
