EU Net Contributors 2024: The Complete Ranking

Every year, European Union member states transfer tens of billions of euros to Brussels. Some countries get back more than they put in. Most of the largest economies do not. The 2024 EU budget data — based on preliminary figures from the European Commission — lays bare who pays, who receives, and by how much.

Here is what the numbers say.

The 2024 EU Budget at a Glance

The total EU budget for 2024 amounted to €185.4 billion, funding everything from agricultural subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to cohesion funds for less developed regions, research programmes such as Horizon Europe, and the ongoing disbursements under the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument.

Member states collectively contributed €135.9 billion in direct national payments — through GNI-based contributions, VAT-based own resources, customs duties, and corrections. Total allocations flowing back to member states reached €123.0 billion. The operating budgetary balance — the difference between what a country pays and what it receives — is the clearest measure of who foots the bill. In 2024, nine member states were net contributors. Eighteen were net recipients.

Source: European Commission — EU budget revenue and expenditure

The Top Net Contributors in 2024

Nine EU member states paid more into the EU budget than they received back. Here they are, ranked by total net contribution:

1. Germany — net contribution of €19.5 billion (contributed €32.1B, received €12.6B)
2. Netherlands — net contribution of €6.4 billion (contributed €9.6B, received €3.2B)
3. France — net contribution of €5.8 billion (contributed €22.3B, received €16.5B)
4. Italy — net contribution of €2.9 billion (contributed €16.1B, received €13.3B)
5. Sweden — net contribution of €2.3 billion (contributed €4.3B, received €2.0B)
6. Austria — net contribution of €1.4 billion (contributed €3.4B, received €2.0B)
7. Denmark — net contribution of €1.0 billion (contributed €2.9B, received €1.8B)
8. Ireland — net contribution of €821 million (contributed €3.0B, received €2.2B)
9. Finland — net contribution of €385 million (contributed €2.0B, received €1.6B)

Germany alone accounts for more than half of all net contributions — its €19.5 billion net outflow is three times that of the Netherlands. France contributed €22.3 billion but received €16.5 billion back through CAP and other programmes, softening its net position.

Per Capita: A Different Picture

When adjusted for population, the burden shifts toward smaller, wealthier states:

1. Netherlands — €359 per person
2. Germany — €234 per person
3. Sweden — €215 per person
4. Denmark — €172 per person
5. Ireland — €161 per person
6. Austria — €157 per person
7. France — €86 per person
8. Finland — €69 per person
9. Italy — €49 per person

A Dutch citizen effectively pays €359 per year more to the EU than they receive in return — the highest per capita burden among all member states. Germans pay €234, while the average Italian's net cost is just €49. This per capita view fuels political debate in countries like the Netherlands and Sweden. See the full breakdown on our ranking page.

The Top 10 Net Receivers in 2024

On the other side of the ledger, eighteen member states received more from the EU than they contributed. The largest net recipients:

1. Belgium — net receipt of €5.1 billion*
2. Greece — net receipt of €3.4 billion
3. Romania — net receipt of €2.5 billion
4. Poland — net receipt of €2.5 billion
5. Luxembourg — net receipt of €2.4 billion*
6. Hungary — net receipt of €1.9 billion
7. Bulgaria — net receipt of €1.3 billion
8. Slovakia — net receipt of €1.3 billion
9. Lithuania — net receipt of €1.2 billion
10. Portugal — net receipt of €1.1 billion

* Belgium and Luxembourg host major EU institutions (the European Commission, European Parliament, Court of Justice, etc.). A large share of their "receipts" reflects EU administrative spending in those countries, not direct policy transfers. Their net positions should be interpreted with this caveat in mind.

Excluding the institutional host effect, Greece, Romania, and Poland are the largest genuine beneficiaries. Poland — historically the EU's single largest recipient — received a net €2.5 billion in 2024, far less than in prior years (see historical section below).

What This Means for EU Taxpayers

To make these figures tangible: a German household of four effectively transferred roughly €936 per year to other EU member states through the federal budget. A Dutch household of the same size: approximately €1,436.

On the receiving end, a Greek citizen gained an average of €323 per year from the EU budget. A Latvian: €544. In per capita terms, the largest recipient is Luxembourg at €3,591 per person — though again, this reflects institutional presence rather than policy support.

Among genuine policy beneficiaries, the per capita leaders are the three Baltic states: Latvia (€544), Estonia (€443), and Lithuania (€437) — small populations with significant cohesion fund allocations.

Historical Trend: Growing Imbalance?

Comparing 2024 to 2018 — the last year of the previous multiannual financial framework — reveals notable shifts:

The standout trends:

• Germany's burden grew 47% — from €13.2B to €19.5B, driven by higher GNI-based contributions and post-Brexit rebalancing after the UK's departure.
• The Netherlands nearly tripled — from €2.4B to €6.4B, a persistent source of domestic political tension.
• Poland's receipts fell 80% — from €12.4B to €2.5B, reflecting rule-of-law conditionality delays and economic convergence raising Poland's own contributions.
• Italy's net cost dropped 41% — from €4.9B to €2.9B, partly due to increased NextGenerationEU receipts.

The data shows that the cost of EU membership is increasingly concentrated among a smaller group of wealthy northern states, while the largest historical recipients are seeing their inflows shrink.

Source: European Commission Annual Activity Reports; European Court of Auditors Annual Reports

Disclaimer: The figures presented in this article are based on preliminary 2024 operating budgetary balance data as published by the European Commission. Final audited figures may differ. Net balances do not capture the full economic benefit of EU membership — including single market access, regulatory harmonisation, and geopolitical stability — which are not reflected in direct fiscal transfers. For a full explanation of how these figures are calculated, see our methodology page.

Data sources: European Commission DG Budget Financial Reports, Eurostat (datasets: nama_10_gdp, demo_gind, gov_10dd_edpt), EU Open Data Portal. Population figures: Eurostat 2023 estimates.