New business boom in Switzerland continues

After the year 2020, which was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, and went down in history as a record year in terms of the number of new companies founded, Switzerland is now heading for a new record this year. In the first half of 2021, 26’387 new companies were entered in the commercial register. This represents an increase of +20.9% compared to the same time period last year. The high increase compared to the first half of 2020 is partly due to the lockdown measures put in place at that time.

According to the analysis by IFJ Institut für Jungunternehmen, Most new companies were established in the cantons of Zurich (4'638), Vaud (2'473), Bern (2'471) and Geneva with 2'173 new entries. These four cantons make up almost half of all new incorporations in Switzerland. But which cantons are the winners in percentage compared to the previous year? The canton of Schaffhausen recorded an increase of a remarkable +63.7% compared to the previous half year. Followed by Zug with +40.3%, Uri with +32.7% and Bern with an increase of +31.6%.

Comparison of the last 10 years

Since modest decreases in 2012 and 2015, the Commercial Register has seen a consistent increase in new entries until 2020. In the first half of 2020, new entries dropped temporarily due to the COVID-19 measures. On average, 22’010 new companies were registered per half-year over the last 10 years. The current six months of 2021 show a significant growth of 20% over the 10-year average, with 26’387 new registrations.

In terms of new companies by sectors, all sectors except for three are showing positive signs compared to the previous year. High growth rates have been achieved in sectors including IT and ICT (21.9%), Finance and Insurance (22.9%), Architecture and Engineering (14.4%) and in sectors like Retail (42.8%) and Culture and Non-Profit (35.4%).

More detailed numbers can be downloaded below.

(Press release / SK)