In 2025, 6.9 million commercial flights were recorded in the EU, an increase of 3.8 percent compared with 2024 (6.7 million). The number of flights has risen continuously since 2021 and, by 2025, had returned to a level similar to the pre-pandemic figure of seven million recorded in 2019.

According to Eurostat, in 2025, 27.5 percent of the EU’s population aged 16 or older were unable to afford one week of annual holidays away from home. This share increased by 0.5 percentage points (pp) compared with 2024, but it is significantly lower (by 7.7 pp) than a decade ago, in 2015.

The average price of air transport services, including plane tickets, in the EU has fluctuated significantly since January 2025. This volatility reflects travel demand, seasonality and recent geopolitical events. 

In 2025, 31.1 percent of all overnight stays in tourist accommodations across the EU took place during the two busiest months; in all EU countries these were August and July. The seasonality of tourism is driven by environmental factors, such as climate conditions and geographical location, together with social and cultural influences, such as school holidays.

In the first quarter of 2026, there were 471.1 million overnight stays in tourist accommodations across the EU, marking an increase of 3.4 percent compared with the same quarter of 2025. January recorded 143.5 million nights (+3.2 percent compared with January 2025), February 154.4 million (+3.4 percent) and March 173.2 million (+3.7 percent).

As technology reshapes workplaces at an unprecedented pace, some young people are finding their own ways to make a living, turning to self-employment out of creativity and innovation or necessity.

2025 was another record-setting year for EU tourism, with nearly 3.1 billion nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments across the EU. This reflects a 2.2 percent increase, or 66.4 million more nights than in 2024. 

On January 01, 2025, the median age of the EU’s population reached 44.9 years, Indicating that half of the people in the EU were older than 44.9 years, while the other half was younger. Across the EU, it ranged from 39.6 years in Ireland to 49.1 years in Italy.

In 2025, the estimated number of nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments in the EU reached 3.08 billion, exceeding the previous year by 61.5 million, or two percent.

In the second quarter of this year, guests spent 245.9 million nights in short-term rental accommodation in the EU, booked via Airbnb, Booking or Expedia.