IPOs in Europe - statistics & facts

Initial public offerings (IPOs) are important instruments used by companies to generate capital. An IPO is the stock market launch of a privately-held company, also known as "going public", which allows institutional and retail investors to purchase shares in the company. Europe is the most popular destination for IPOs in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, though Mainland China is the most popular destination worldwide. The United States is the second most popular destination for companies seeking to go public. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, IPO activity actually increased in both China and the United States in 2020.

Why are more IPOs filed in China and the U.S.?

IPO activity in Europe declined over the past decade and shows no sign of recovery. Meanwhile, the number of IPOs in China and the U.S. have remained high. One reason for this is the high concentration of unicorns, private companies valued at least one billion U.S. dollars, in those two regions, which are more likely IPO-candidates than the typically smaller, less internationally active European startups. Asian and North American unicorns have significantly higher market values than European unicorns, which impacts how many of them file for an IPO, because market valuation plays a large role in setting the IPO price.

Why has the SPAC trend skipped Europe?

Another reason that IPO activity was so high in the United States in 2020 can be summed up in one word: SPACs. 2020 was the year of the SPAC, at least in the U.S., and this trend continued in 2021. However, only three SPAC IPOs were completed in Europe in 2020, which pales in comparison to the boom seen across the pond. This gap is due to both the difference in listing rules between the two regions, as well as a general reluctance from the companies themselves. These hurdles led to some European SPAC sponsors opted to list on U.S. exchanges rather than on European exchanges.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Aug 24, 2022

Key insights

Number of IPOs in the EMEA region
459
Number of IPOs in Europe Q1 2022
28
Size of IPOs in Europe Q1 2022
2.7bn EUR
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Largest IPOs in Europe in 2021, by deal value (in million euros)

Corporate Financing

Largest IPOs in Europe 2021

Value of initial public offering (IPO) in Europe from the Q1 2015 to Q1 2022 (in billion euros)

Corporate Financing

Funds raised by IPOs in Europe 2015-2022

Proceeds of special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) IPOs completed on selected exchanges in Europe from 2020 to 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)

Corporate Financing

Size of SPAC IPOs: London, Euronext, NASDAQ OMX vs Frankfurt 2020-2021

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Initial public offerings (IPOs) in the United States
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Venture capital in North America
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Initial public offerings (IPO) of Chinese companies
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