Fifteen years of Airbnb in Europe: €377.6 billion GDP contribution

Fifteen years after opening its first European office, Airbnb has published new data on its contribution to communities across Europe.

Stays on Airbnb have contributed an estimated €377.6 billion to EU GDP since 2011. In 2025 alone, stays on Airbnb contributed an estimated €55.8 billion to EU GDP, roughly equivalent to the combined GDP of Cyprus and Malta¹.

Travel is spreading beyond Europe's best-known cities

The benefits of short-term rentals are more widespread than ever before. Nearly 9 in 10 guest nights on Airbnb are now outside Europe's most-visited capitals², up from just under half in 2011.

This shift is driving significant economic impact in new regions, with Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Poland seeing the fastest percentage growth in estimated GDP contribution over the past fifteen years.

Travellers are increasingly seeking out rural and less densely populated locations too, with roughly three in five guest nights taking place outside high density urban areas³, compared to just over 6% fifteen years ago.

Tools such as AI Search are designed to further encourage dispersed travel and help people discover new destinations they may never have known existed, with travel starting by describing a trip, rather than starting with a place.

Boosting local businesses

In 2025, Airbnb guests gave a significant boost to businesses in the EU, spending an estimated €54.5 billion locally outside of their accommodation⁴.

Guest spending includes restaurants (€17.8 billion), groceries (€10.6 billion), shopping (€8.2 billion), entertainment (€7.3 billion) and transport (€5.6 billion).

Services and Experiences on Airbnb have great potential to bring further value to communities, helping guests explore beyond their accommodation.

Hosts are everyday Europeans

Over the past 15 years, EU hosts on Airbnb have collectively earned over €109 billion⁵.

The majority of hosts, over 75%, have rented out just one home, with the typical host earning just over €4,600⁶.

Supporting local jobs and services

Stays on Airbnb supported almost one million jobs in the EU in 2025⁷. Between 2011 and 2025, stays on Airbnb supported an estimated €176 billion in labour income.

These jobs include roles directly supported by guest spending, such as restaurant staff, cleaners, and shop workers, as well as supply chain roles and induced jobs created by the local spending of host earnings and employee wages.

Between 2011 and 2025, stays on Airbnb have helped generate an estimated €113.6 billion in tax revenue⁸, contributing to funding the public services and infrastructure local communities rely on.

"Over the last fifteen years, we've witnessed a remarkable evolution in how people travel across Europe," said Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Airbnb.

"Guests are venturing off the beaten track, and economic opportunity travels with them. For everyday Europeans, sharing their home has become a crucial source of extra income and a way to share their region with pride.

"We will continue to work constructively with policymakers to ensure these benefits reach communities across the continent."

Part of the fabric of European communities, far beyond tourist stays

Airbnb also helps meet a wide range of temporary accommodation needs. Over 8 in 10 respondents to a Europe-wide poll commissioned by Airbnb have experienced a need for flexible housing due to temporary relocation.

Every stay on Airbnb supports emergency stays

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit that leverages Airbnb's network of listings to provide temporary housing to people displaced by emergencies, travelling for medical care, fleeing domestic violence and exploitation, and more.

Airbnb now donates a portion of its revenue from every stay to Airbnb.org. These donations are expected to provide Airbnb.org with an estimated $500 million in funding over the next five years.

Since launching its medical stays program in Europe this year, Airbnb.org has provided around 2,000 free nights for families traveling for medical care across Europe.