EPSO AD5 — All 27 Member States
Who Applies to EPSO?
A Tale of Two Europes
Representation ratio of EPSO AD5 applicants versus EU population share — revealing a structural North-South divide in who pursues EU civil service careers. Based on 174,922 total applicants.
Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and Malta all exceed 1.0×. Southern Europe systematically outperforms population expectations — driven by labour market pressures and strong EU career culture.
Belgium (1.77×) and Luxembourg (2.31×) punch far above their weight — likely due to proximity to EU institutions and established expat communities with EU career networks.
Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland — the EU’s largest economies — are all significantly underrepresented. Despite having the most to gain, large-state citizens apply far below their demographic share.