In Europe, more and more women and young people among investors

In Europe, 29% of women invest, up 11% year-on-year (26% in 2022). On the other hand, male investors grew by 4%, to 47% (46% in 2022). In addition, just under half of 25-34 year olds (46%) invest, an increase of 13% over the previous year.

This is the most significant data from research that BlackRock commissioned from YouGov to analyse the approach to investing across Europe. The BlackRock People & Money 2024 survey examines the behaviour and approach of current and potential investors in 14 European countries, the difficulties they face, which instruments they choose to invest in today and which they intend to invest in over the next 12 months.

For Luca Giorgi, Head of iShares and Wealth BlackRock Southern Europe: 'The investment world is constantly evolving. New generations of investors prefer to use instruments such as ETFs and are increasingly looking to the digital channel to take their first steps into the world of investing. We believe that this democratisation of investing will allow even more people to access efficient financial instruments, promoting financial inclusion'.

More and more Europeans are investing and plan to continue to do so in the next 12 months. Since 2023, research has found that 11 million new investors have registered across Europe. In 2024, 34 per cent of Europeans will have investments, a relative growth of 11 per cent compared to 2023.

In particular, three different phases appear in the progress of investment in Europe. The Nordic countries show high investment participation, with one in two people investing. The UK has seen the largest year-on-year increase, with a 21% increase (from 30% in 2022 to 36% in 2024), representing 3.5 million new investors. Germany and Switzerland remain the largest markets in Europe, with more than one in three investors in Germany. Berlin has also seen significant growth since 2022, with 3.2 million new investors (14%).