EU Business News - Mastercard ranks Portuguese women entrepreneurs first in the EU, in their new report on Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs in Europe 2025. The above chart shows the ranking of EU countries with the highest rate of women with the entrepreneurial spirit.
While new research from Mastercard reveals that 40% of women in Europe have the entrepreneurial spirit, there are three countries in the EU region that rank above the average, namely Portugal (56%), Greece (46%) and Ireland (41%).
Mastercard’s new study, released ahead of International Women’s Day 2025, reveals that more than half of women in Portugal identify as entrepreneurs.
Portugal is the European country where the entrepreneurial spirit is highest among women, especially among the younger generations, that want to pursue their dreams, achieve financial independence, improve their work-life balance and make a difference in the world.
Generation X women, who were born between 1965 and 1980, are the most likely to consider themselves entrepreneurs (63%), followed by millennials (60%). The number of women who develop projects or businesses in addition to their regular work also increases among women from Generation Z (54% vs. 37%) and millennials (55% vs. 31%).
The sectors in which Portuguese women are most likely to start a business are education (15%), online commerce (14%), and the hotel and leisure industry (12%). Men, on the other hand, are four times more likely to invest in the technology and IT sector (15% men vs. 4% women).
Paloma Real, Western Europe President, Mastercard, stated that “Women entrepreneurs have been a powerful driver of economic growth and improved lives for all.”
Mastercard is leading initiatives that support entrepreneurs and this includes Strive EU, which has provided grants of up to €500,000 to innovative organizations that help to grow micro and small businesses across the EU.