This paper compares the degree of competition across 127 narrowly defined industries. Using firm-level data for European countries, several proxies of competition – each capturing different facets of the competitive environment – are combined into a composite indicator that ranks industries according to their overall level of competition. This composite competition indicator is further related to competition enforcement interventions by the European Commission, showing that industries with weaker competition are the subject of more frequent interventions. This empirical exercise can serve as a useful tool for economists and policymakers to understand, screen, and analyse the functioning of markets from a competition perspective.
