Public procurement represents around 15% of the European Union's GDP.

Omissions

• Some official EU sources use a slightly lower figure: the European Commission's single-market page and the European Parliament factsheet both state 'around 14% of EU GDP', while the same Commission page elsewhere cites 'around 16% of GDP (around €2.5 trillion per year)'. The 15% figure therefore sits at the upper end of the official range.
• The OECD figure (14.8% in 2023) refers to OECD-EU countries, a subset, rather than the EU27 as a whole; the EU-specific 15% figure appears in the European Commission's 2026 draft proposal (reported by Reuters, published 2026-07-09, i.e. shortly before the session date).
• The exact percentage varies by year: OECD data show 13.9% in 2019, 15% in 2021 and 14.8% in 2023 for OECD-EU countries, so the figure is a moving target rather than a fixed value.

Sources

• PrimaryOECD — Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurementAcross the OECD-EU countries, public procurement expenditure as a share of GDP stood at 14.8% in 2023, 13.9% in 2019, and 15% in 2021 (Figure 11.1).
• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Public procurement (Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)Public procurement represents around 14% of EU GDP and is a key policy tool... Every year, over 250 000 public authorities in the EU spend around 16% of GDP (around €2.5 trillion per year) on the purchase of services, works and supplies.
• SecondaryReuters — EU drafts 'Buy European' rules for public tenders to curb foreign dependencePublic procurement accounts for around 15% of the EU's GDP, according to the draft proposal, equating to about €2.5 trillion ($2.86 trillion) based on the EU's 2025 GDP.