Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Ideal Syka
Author-Name-First: Ideal
Author-Name-Last: Syka
Author-Email: ai@i6eal.de
Author-Workplace-Name: i6eal / Syka Ventures UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Title: Firm Size and Sector Gaps in Enterprise AI Adoption: Germany and the EU-27 in 2025
Abstract: This research note uses harmonised Eurostat ICT-usage statistics to describe enterprise artificial-intelligence adoption in Germany relative to the EU-27 in 2025. The population covers enterprises with at least ten employees and self-employed persons in covered non-financial NACE activities. AI use is reported by 25.97% of German enterprises, compared with 19.95% in the EU-27, placing Germany eighth among member states. Adoption rises sharply with firm size in Germany, from 23.06% among enterprises with 10–49 employees to 56.99% among enterprises with 250 or more. Germany exceeds the EU-27 aggregate in each of eight displayed activity groups, with the largest difference in information and communication (75.38% versus 62.52%). The comparisons are descriptive, not causal. Survey flags, missing values and denominators are retained, and a reported German enterprise-definition break in 2025 limits longitudinal interpretation.
Classification-JEL: O33, L25, M15
Keywords: artificial intelligence
Keywords: technology adoption
Keywords: firm size
Keywords: sector heterogeneity
Keywords: Germany
Keywords: European Union
Keywords: digitalisation
Number: 2026-01
Creation-Date: 2026-07-31
Language: en
Length: 7 pages
File-URL: https://i6eal.de/research-notes/files/i6eal-rn-2026-01.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
Order-URL: https://i6eal.de/research-notes/firm-size-sector-gaps-enterprise-ai-adoption/
Handle: RePEc:evi:irnote:2026-01