The economy of Europe, as a continent, comprises more than 731 million people spread across 48 different countries. Like other continents, the average wealth of individuals varies from state to state, although, even in the poorest European countries, the range in terms of GDP and living standards still ranks much higher than in most other continents. Europe has a thriving manufacturing sector, with a large part of the world's industrial production taking place in Europe.

Agriculture and fishing
Europe's agricultural sector is generally well developed. The process of improving and modernising agriculture in Central Europe is ongoing and is assisted by the accession of the Central European states to the EU. The agricultural sector among EU member states is supported by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which helps provide farmers with a guaranteed minimum price for their products and subsidizes their exports, which increases the competitiveness of their products.

Investing and banking
Europe has a well-developed financial sector. Many European cities are financial centres with the City of London being the largest. The continental european financial sector was boosted by the introduction of the euro as a common currency. This has made it easier for European households and firms to invest in companies and deposit money in banks in other European countries. Additionally the Euro has gained the position of a global 'reserve' currency, meaning that many non-euro countries hold reserves of the currency as part of their foreign exchange reserves, primarily used when performing commodities transactions. The Euro is currently the world's second most widely held reserve currency after the US dollar, with some countries, such as Russia, holding the Euro as their primary foreign reserve currency.