In the first nine months of 2025, Ukraine registered 225 thousand new individual entrepreneurs – almost the same as last year, despite the war and crisis, while the number of closures has increased by 11% to 213 thousand. The balance remains positive: a net increase of 12 thousand businesses. This is reported by Opendatabot.
How long small businesses survive after opening
The registration rates are recovering after a decline in January: from 21.4 thousand in January to a record 29.6 thousand in September. Conversely, closures mainly affected fresh startups – over 45 thousand individual entrepreneurs, opened only in 2024, ceased operations. This highlights the vulnerability of newcomers in an unstable economy, where inflation and logistical problems are putting pressure on the sector.
Where individual entrepreneurs are most often opened in Ukraine
The regional distribution indicates an urban focus: the most active areas are large cities and industrial centers. Here are the key figures:
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Kyiv: 30.5 thousand new, 27.5 thousand closed;
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Dnipropetrovsk region: 22.2 thousand new, 19.1 thousand closed;
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Lviv region: 17.2 thousand new;
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Kyiv region: 16.7 thousand new;
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Odesa region: 16.4 thousand new;
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Kharkiv region: 17.7 thousand closed.
Which business areas are most often chosen by new individual entrepreneurs
Business sectors of individual entrepreneurs include the following. Retail dominates sectorally: 29% of new individual entrepreneurs are in retail, followed by wholesale, IT, HoReCa, and information services. This is where most bankruptcies occur due to competition and seasonality impacting margins. Women initiate 60% of registrations, peaking at 63% in Sumy region – they choose services, education, healthcare, and tailoring. Men lean towards logistics, construction, and repairs.
Who among foreigners most often opens individual entrepreneurship in Ukraine
Foreign activity is on the rise: 1,648 individual entrepreneurs from non-residents, with Azerbaijanis, Russians, Uzbeks, Moldovans, and Armenians leading. This reflects migration trends and the search for safe niches in the Ukrainian economy.
Experts advise individual entrepreneurs to focus on diversification and state grants so that newcomers do not fall so quickly. If the trend continues, by the end of the year the number of new individual entrepreneurs could reach 300 thousand.
Earlier, we reported that the National Bank will complicate the closure of individual entrepreneurs: what awaits entrepreneurs.