Europe here is the whole continent, EU member or not: from Iceland and Portugal to Ukraine, with the UK, Norway and Switzerland. Our list of libraries in Europe holds companies in 40 of its countries.
List of Libraries in Europe
Libraries lend books, e-books and audiobooks and give residents, pupils and students a place to read and learn. We list 33,786 libraries in Europe, most of them in the UK (23%) and Russia (22%). One list for the whole territory, with the register number of each country. Download it as a database or pull it through our Company Data API.
33,786 companies indexed · Data counted on 28 October 2026
Companies33,786
Countries40
Largest countryThe UK
Employees1-4
Revenue< $100K
Email39%
Phone62%
Website50%
CEO name52%
Live sample of libraries in Europe
Below you see a live sample of the 33,786 libraries, sorted by number of employees. Filter on country, size, revenue, legal form or founding year, or search a company by name.
Newport City CouncilNewport City Council
| Company Name | Country | City | Address 1 | State/Province | Postal Code | Website | Founding Year | Yearly Revenue in U.S. Dollars | Employees Total | Business Legal Type - Description | Number of Companies in Group | Company Registration Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newport City Council | Unitedkingdom | Ebbw Vale | Civic Centre | Blaenau Gwent | NP20 4UR | *****.uk | 1996 | $212,946,237 | 7,000 | 174 | N/A | |
| 2 | Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council | Unitedkingdom | Halifax | Town Hall | Calderdale, West Yorkshire | HX1 1UJ | *****.uk | 1900 | $100,084,731 | 3,290 | 155 | N/A | |
| 3 | Wandsworth Council | Unitedkingdom | Battersea | The Town Hall | London | SW18 2PU | *****.uk | 1965 | $1,036,552,200 | 2,000 | 93 | N/A | |
| 4 | Bibliotheque Nationale De France | France | Paris | 11 Quai Francois Mauriac | Paris | 75013 | *****.fr | 1994 | $76,352,000 | 2,000 | Government body | 36005 | 18004625200177 |
| 5 | Technological University Dublin - Enterprise Engagement | Ireland | Dublin | Parkhouse | Dublin | D07 EWV4 | *****.ie | 2025 | $381,760 | 1,900 | 3 | N/A | |
| 6 | North Glasgow Universities N H S Trust | Unitedkingdom | Townhead | 10 Alexandra Park | East Dunbartonshire | G66 5BH | N/A | N/A | 0 | 1,682 | 14 | N/A | |
| 7 | The British Library | Unitedkingdom | Hampstead | British Library | London | NW1 2DB | *****.uk | 1973 | $205,575,362 | 1,560 | Government body | 5752 | N/A |
| 8 | Rgb, Fgbu | Russia | Moskva | 3/5 Ul. Vozdvizhenka | Moskva | 119019 | N/A | 1994 | $76,352 | 1,522 | Corporation | N/A | 02175175 |
| 9 | University Of Leeds | Unitedkingdom | Penraevon Industrial Estate | Woodhouse Lane | Leeds, West Yorkshire | LS2 9JT | *****.uk | N/A | 0 | 1,246 | 17 | N/A | |
| 10 | Rnb, Fgbu | Russia | Sankt-peterburg | 18 Ul. Sadovaya | Sankt-peterburg | 191069 | *****.ru | 1994 | $76,352 | 1,211 | Corporation | N/A | 02194586 |
| 11 | Enterprise Ireland | Ireland | Dublin | Legal Department | Dublin | D03 E5R6 | *****.com | 1959 | $22,905,600 | 1,200 | 1017 | N/A | |
| 12 | Northern Ireland Library Authority | Unitedkingdom | Lisburn | Office Suite 1 | Lisburn and Castlereagh | BT28 1TS | N/A | 2009 | $30,420,890 | 1,000 | N/A | N/A | |
| 13 | Stichting Probiblio | Netherlands | Hoofddorp | Spicalaan 55 | Noord-holland | 2132 JG | *****.nl | 1996 | $381,760 | 950 | Non profit organization | 2 | 41159711 |
| 14 | Det KGL. Bibliotek | Denmark | København | Soren Kierkegaards Plads 1 | Hovedstaden | 1221 | *****.dk | 2006 | $1,221,632 | 938 | Government body | 113 | 28988842 |
| 15 | Stichting Cubiss Next | Netherlands | Tilburg | Statenlaan 4 | Noord-brabant | 5042 RX | *****.nl | 1968 | $381,760 | 900 | Non profit organization | 2 | 41095509 |
| 16 | Scunthorpe Borough Council | Unitedkingdom | Charnwood Park Estate | Swinburne Road | North Lincolnshire | DN17 1PT | *****.uk | N/A | 0 | 855 | 11 | N/A | |
| 17 | Tfgi Po Sibirskomu Federalnomu Okrugu, Fgbu | Russia | Novosibirsk | 74 Ul. Kamenskaya | Novosibirskaya Oblast' | 630091 | N/A | 1999 | $381,760 | 750 | Corporation | 10 | 52302437 |
| 18 | The Arts Council Of England | Unitedkingdom | Manchester | 2nd Floor the Hive 47 Lever Street | Manchester, Greater Manchester | M1 1FN | *****.uk | 1994 | $759,459,044 | 703 | Corporation | 6 | RC000742 |
| 19 | Magyar Nemzeti Leveltar | Hungary | Budapest | Becsi Kapu Ter 2-4. | Budapest Megye | 1014 | *****.hu | 1983 | $26,417,792 | 692 | Government body | 559 | 15309178241 |
| 20 | Tsa Mo Rf (V/CH 00500), Fku | Russia | Podolsk | 74 Ul. Kirova | Bashkortostan Respublika | 142117 | N/A | 2010 | $381,760 | 662 | Corporation | 4 | 08066240 |
| 21 | Le Macchine Celibi Soc Coop Impresa Sociale | Italy | Bologna | Via De' Marchi 4/2 | Bologna | 40123 | *****.coop | 1990 | $19,289,498 | 662 | Corporation | 8 | IT02537350379 |
| 22 | Nasjonalbiblioteket | Norway | Oslo | Henrik Ibsens Gate 110 | Oslo | 0255 | *****.no | 1994 | $1,221,632 | 630 | 89 | 976029100 | |
| 23 | Leeds Beckett University | Unitedkingdom | Morley | Enquiries | Leeds, West Yorkshire | LS27 8RA | N/A | N/A | 0 | 604 | 10 | N/A | |
| 24 | Defence Infrastructure Organisation | Unitedkingdom | Lodge Hill | Kingston Road | Birmingham, West Midlands | B75 7RL | N/A | 2018 | $18,252,534 | 600 | Proprietorship | N/A | N/A |
| 25 | Lietuvos Nacionaline Martyno Mazvydo Biblioteka | Lithuania | Vilnius | Gedimino Pr. 51 | Vilniaus Apskritis | 01109 | *****.lt | 1997 | $76,352 | 568 | Corporation | N/A | 290757560 |
Showing 25 of 33,786 companies
Request Free SampleWhich countries have the most libraries?
Europe here is the whole continent, EU member or not: from Iceland and Portugal to Ukraine, with the UK, Norway and Switzerland. Each country has its own business register and company number. The list carries them all in one file.
Libraries per country, 40 countries
The UK and Russia together hold 45% of the libraries in Europe. The list carries each country's own register number, so you can match it against the local register. The other 25 countries hold 2,262 more.
Largest libraries in Europe
The biggest libraries in Europe by staff and by revenue, the largest in the UK, the biggest newcomers of 2026 and the oldest. Click a name for the record.
Newport City Council is the largest library in Europe by headcount. 1,439 libraries employ 50 people or more; 595 employ 100 or more.
106 libraries in Europe turn over more than $5 million a year; 63 more than $10 million. Branches of foreign groups are left out: their records carry the group's turnover.
The UK has the most libraries in Europe: 7,803, or 23% of the list. These are its largest by headcount.
350 libraries were entered in a register in Europe so far in 2026. These are the largest of them by headcount.
65 libraries in Europe in our data were founded before 1900.
Most libraries in Europe are very small: 61% have 1 to 4 employees, and 74% report under $100K in yearly revenue.
By employee size
| Employees | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 16,749 | 61% | |
| 5-9 | 2,877 | 10% | |
| 10-19 | 3,748 | 14% | |
| 20-49 | 2,615 | 10% | |
| 50-99 | 844 | 3% | |
| 100-199 | 471 | 2% | |
| 200-499 | 95 | 0% | |
| 500+ | 29 | 0% |
By yearly revenue (USD)
| Revenue | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| < $100K | 15,940 | 74% | |
| $100K-$500K | 4,509 | 21% | |
| $500K-$1M | 465 | 2% | |
| $1M-$5M | 396 | 2% | |
| $5M-$10M | 43 | 0% | |
| $10M-$50M | 55 | 0% | |
| $50M+ | 8 | 0% |
How many libraries started this year?
This year 350 new libraries registered in Europe, after 695 last year.
Founded per year
- 4542022
- 5552023
- 5672024
- 6952025
- 3502026 so far
Legal forms of libraries in Europe
20% of the libraries in Europe are corporations.
- Corporations6,637
- Non-profit4,755
- Sole traders2,430
- Cooperatives1,529
- Partnerships443
- Foreign companies27
- Other or unknown17,965
Which libraries are part of a group?
13,181 of the 33,786 libraries in Europe (39%) are part of a chain or group: 989 head offices or parent companies and 12,192 branches. The other 20,605 (61%) trade from a single location. 39 of the 50 largest libraries in Europe by revenue belong to a group.
Chains and single locations
| Location | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single location | 20,605 | 61% | |
| Head office | 989 | 3% | |
| Branch | 12,192 | 36% |
Largest groups in this list
- 1Biblioteka Narodowa37,028 in group
- 2Bibliotheque Nationale De France36,005 in group
- 3Bibliothèque Cantonale Et Universitaire - Lausanne8,307 in group
- 4Narodní Technicka Knihovna7,716 in group
- 5Bundesarchiv6,001 in group
The groups are counted from the 50 largest companies in this list by revenue, not from all 33,786; our API cannot yet filter on group size. The chain count above covers the whole list.
What do libraries do?
Libraries buy, catalogue and lend books, newspapers, films and digital media, and many host reading clubs, courses, homework help and digital skills sessions. Most are run by municipalities, universities and schools, and their users range from young children to researchers.
Our data comes from the business registers of 40 European countries, where libraries are classified under SIC code 8231 (libraries). In NACE, the European code those registers use, 33,786 of them (100%) sit in group 91.0 (libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities), part of division 91 (libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities).
How to get the data
Every library comes with its register number, address, phone, email, employees, revenue, legal form and founding year.
Excel or CSV list
All 33,786 libraries in Europe in one file, delivered within 24 hours.
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Create a free accountQuestions about libraries in Europe
Every answer is counted from the data on this page.
Our data holds 33,786 libraries in Europe, counted on 28 October 2026.
The UK, with 7,803 libraries or 23% of the total, followed by Russia (7,310) and Belgium (3,633).
Most libraries in Europe are very small: 61% have 1 to 4 employees, and 74% report under $100K in yearly revenue. The largest by employees is Newport City Council in Ebbw Vale with 7,000 employees.
This year 350 new libraries registered in Europe, after 695 last year.
Yes. Filter the table on this page by country, or open the page of that country, linked from the country ranking. You can also request all 33,786 libraries in Europe as one Excel or CSV file.
Get the full list of libraries in Europe
All 33,786 companies with register number, address, phone, email, employees, revenue, legal form and founding year. Excel or CSV, delivered within 24 hours.
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