EIB Group cohesion data

This chart gives an overview of the EIB Group’s cohesion activities between 2021 and 2024. For the EIB, cohesion financing is further broken down into less developed and transition regions.

Of the EU’s 145 cohesion regions, 67 are classified as transition regions and 78 as less developed regions. Transition regions are defined as regions where the GDP per capita is between 75% and 100% of the EU average. In less developed regions, GDP per capita is less than 75% of the EU average.

Less developed regions are mostly found in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe (e.g. Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Portugal, Greece and the southern regions of Italy and Spain).

Many transition regions are found in wealthier EU Member States (e.g. France and Finland) but some transition regions are formerly less developed regions whose economies have grown significantly faster than the EU average over the past two decades (e.g. in Estonia, Czechia and Poland).

The top six recipients of EIB Group cohesion financing are France, Spain, Poland, Italy, Greece, and Romania. France and Italy attract a high amount of financing because of the combined size of their cohesion regions.

Spain, Poland, Greece and Romania, by contrast, attract a much higher share of cohesion financing (43% of the EU total) than the economic weight of their cohesion regions (29% of EU Cohesion-region GDP).

Zooming in on EIB Group financing to less developed regions, Poland, Italy, and Spain are by far the greatest recipients.

As for EIB lending intensity, the top category – with lending per inhabitant above €1 600 from 2021-2024 – includes three regions: Western Macedonia, Extremadura, and Burgenland. These are the regions with the lowest living standards in their respective countries (Greece, Spain, and Austria), showing that the EIB takes its mission to invest in less developed regions seriously.

The less developed regions of Alentejo (Portugal) and Pomerania (Poland) also have high EIB lending per capita (€1000 and above). The same is true for the Transition regions Castilla y Leon (Spain) and Marche (Italy).

The categories with medium EIB lending intensity (between €400 and €1 000 per capita) contain 41 regions – 22 Less developed and 19 transition regions – in twelve EU countries: France (8), Italy (7), Czech Republic (6), Poland (6), Belgium (4), Spain (4), Romania (2), Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, and Ireland (one each).

• The EIB Group directed €40.6 billion (37% of total cohesion lending) to sustainable energy and natural resources, mainly in support of electricity networks and renewable energy projects. In 2024, support for sustainable energy and natural resources reached almost €16 billion (41% of the total), clearly demonstrating how cohesion and climate action work hand in hand.
• Sustainable Cities and Regions received the second highest amount with €29.9 billion (24% of the total), much of it towards transport projects. In 2024, this PPG represented 21% of total cohesion financing. 
• The EIB Group allocated €22.4 billion to projects under the innovation, digital and human capital goal, accounting for 18% of total Cohesion financing. In 2024, the Group increased funding by almost one-third compared to 2023, marking a significant and welcome improvement.
• Support for SMEs and mid-caps represented 21% of Group cohesion financing, with €26.2 billion invested. In 2024, financing under this PPG amounted to €7.3 billion (19% of the total).  While it has been the smallest PPG for the Bank in terms of total cohesion financing, it is the most important area for the EIF (46% of EIF commitments/EUR 7.4bn in cohesion regions in 2022-2024)

• Sustainable energy and natural resources, the greatest contributor to total cohesion financing (37%) for the EU as a whole, was particularly prevalent in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, and Slovenia, where it made up at least half of the total amounts. However, in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, and Malta, its share was below 20%.
• Sustainable cities and regions accounted for 24% out of the total. In Cyprus, Croatia, and Poland, it made up 40% or more. In Austria, Finland, Ireland, Slovenia, and Sweden, its share was less than 10%.
• Innovation, digital and human capital projects received 18% of Cohesion support. In Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, and Latvia it made up 30% or more. In Austria, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic, its share was less than 8%.
• Funding for SMEs and mid-caps (21% of the total) is especially important in less wealthy countries such as Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, Romania, and Slovakia, where it accounts for over 30% of cohesion support. In wealthier countries like Belgium, Germany, Finland, and Sweden, its share is 10% or less.

In describing differences between countries, it should be noted that seven Member States are entirely made up of cohesion regions (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia and Malta), whereas 19 Member States have both cohesion and non-cohesion regions. As a result, the results shown are not representative of overall EIB Group activities in these countries.