Figures on SMEs: survival rates and business closures
Establishing a company also involves running the risk of failure. After a few years, some entrepreneurs are forced to shut down.
According to the FSO Business demography statistics, the average survival rate of new businesses founded in Switzerland in 2022 is 84% after a year of existence.
The survival chances at one year are slightly higher in the secondary sector, at 84.8%, compared to 83.9% in the tertiary sector. After two years of existence, businesses in the tertiary sector show a survival rate of 71.8%, compared to 73.4% for the secondary sector (2021 cohort). After three years of existence, the trend remains similar, at 63.9% in the tertiary sector and 63.8% in the secondary sector (2020 cohort). After five years of existence, these figures increase to 50.5% in the tertiary sector and 52.3% in the secondary sector (2018 cohort).
Bankruptcy
In 2024, 17,036 bankruptcy proceedings involving companies and individuals were recorded under the Federal Act on Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy (DEBA), an increase of 1,589 cases compared with 2023 (+10.3%).