According to estimates based on Eurostat GDP data for 2025, a one-day nationwide strike involving roughly one in five workers would cost the largest EU economies billions of euros. Germany would face the biggest losses — about €2.5 billion. France would lose approximately €1.6 billion, and Italy around €1.2 billion.
The calculation uses a simple formula: a country’s annual GDP is divided by 365 to obtain daily output, after which it is assumed that participation by 20% of workers leads to the loss of roughly one-fifth of daily production. For comparison: Spain would lose about €930 million, Belgium approximately €350 million, and Portugal around €170 million.
The estimates were published amid a wave of strikes and protests across Europe. On 5 November, France held a nationwide day of strikes against the rising cost of living. Italy’s CGIL union called a general strike for 20 November, while Belgian unions threatened action during the week of 23 November. In Spain, the CCOO and UGT unions are preparing the first joint 24-hour general strike since 2012 (on a Wednesday, 18 days before the early parliamentary elections on 29 November).
According to preliminary data from the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), 2025 became the most strike-prone year for the EU since 1991. The authors of the analysis stress that the figures are rough estimates: strikes rarely affect the economy evenly — transport, schools and public services suffer the most, while many businesses and offices continue operating. A substantial share of the lost activity is usually made up in the following days and weeks (as French statisticians recorded after the strikes of 2023 and 2018, for example).
One-day actions generally leave no long-term mark in the national accounts, but recurring strikes (as in Belgium in 2025) can already have a more lasting impact on the economy.
