Space Economy activities to support ESA Council at Ministerial level, CM25 • Jan 2025
Space infrastructure and its applications play a crucial role in supporting Europe in overcoming the challenges it faces. Continuous public investment in space will remain essential to ensure sustainability and to prevent the loss of R&D capabilities and critical skills which safeguard and strengthen Europe’s sovereignty. In view of ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial level, CM25, 15 independent impact studies are supporting critical decisions while providing evidence of the value generated by space in Europe.
Prepared by ESA Space Economy team in support of ESA Ministerial Council 2025, the "Space Benefits for Earth" presentation highlights the benefits to the European economy and society of its Member States’ investment in space.
The presentation is available here.
In 2024, Europe’s public expenditures in space accounted for 0.07% of Europe’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared with 2.2% of GDP dedicated to Europe’s research and development overall.
What makes space infrastructure particularly impactful is the exceptional economic and social return it yields compared to the relatively modest public investment. Supporting 11 of the 16 major critical infrastructures, space technologies bring resilience to sectors such as transport, energy, food supply, and public safety.
With funding equivalent to €15 per European citizen annually (compared to nearly €220 per citizen in the United States), ESA plays a key role in supporting European space capabilities. Space assets developed through ESA programmes deliver remarkable value to Europe’s economy and society. ESA programmes drive growth, support high value-added jobs, foster innovation and critical skills, and secure Europe’s strategic autonomy while actively safeguarding its global competitiveness.
The €16.9 billion of subscriptions at ESA Ministerial Council in 2022 are leading to industrial contracts and revenues to the European space industry, based on which €22 billion of GDP (in value added terms) and €6 billion of tax revenues are projected to be generated. These investments also support over 260,000 job-years (equivalent to nearly 33,000 jobs per year) primarily in scientific research and development, and manufacturing industries which outline significantly higher productivity than the average of the European economy.
Beyond the effects of industrial contracts, the space assets developed through ESA programmes deliver remarkable value to Europe’s economy and society. ESA programmes drive growth, support high value-added jobs, foster innovation and critical skills, and secure Europe’s strategic autonomy while actively working to safeguard its global competitiveness in an ever more complex economic and geopolitical context.
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