(21.01.2026) Swiss entrepreneurship continues to develop very positively. In 2025, 55'654 new companies were registered in the commercial register, representing an increase of 5.1% compared with 2024, according to the latest annual report from the Institut für Jungunternehmen (IFJ).
These figures point to significantly stronger entrepreneurial momentum than ten years ago. The IFJ’s National Analysis of Business Creation in Switzerland 2025 shows a 34.7% increase in the number of companies founded in 2025 compared with 2015.
Between 2024 and 2025, registrations in the commercial register increased in 20 cantons. The strongest growth was recorded in Zug (+19.0%), Appenzell Innerrhoden (+17.1%) and Obwalden (+16.9%). By contrast, Uri (-13.5%), Glarus (-8.5%) and Appenzell Ausserrhoden (-7.5%) experienced the most pronounced declines over the same period.
The sectors attracting the largest number of Swiss entrepreneurs are skilled trades (5'829 new companies created in 2025), consulting (5'733) and real estate (5'235). These are followed by services to individuals (B2C) and to businesses (B2B) (4'353), and then architecture and engineering (4'284).
With 14'958 cases recorded, bankruptcies also reached a record level in 2025, either through insolvency proceedings (11'915) or due to organizational shortcomings (3'043).
According to the authors of the report, one of the key factors behind this sharp increase is a change in federal bankruptcy law. As of 1 January 2025, claims under public law are no longer pursued through debt enforcement proceedings, but rather through bankruptcy proceedings. This new rule exposes companies and self-employed individuals with debts to public authorities to the risk of being struck off the register. Moreover, an increase in the number of business creations naturally leads to a rise in bankruptcies, due to the risk inherent in any entrepreneurial undertaking.
Last modification 21.01.2026
