64,000 New Sole Proprietorships Opened in Ukraine in Q1 2026: Leading Sectors and Declining Industries Revealed

Private Entrepreneurship on the Rise in Ukraine

According to ХВИЛЯ: Ukraine's business landscape saw a net gain of 11,297 private entrepreneurs during the first quarter of 2026, according to the Unified State Register (USR). A total of 63,920 new individual entrepreneurs (known as FOPs) were registered, while 52,623 businesses were closed over the January–March period.

The strongest surge in new registrations came from non-store retail-which includes online sales-with 2,527 new businesses. The education sector followed closely with 1,899 new entrepreneurs, and consulting added 1,230. Information services recorded 1,033 new FOPs, and real estate operations saw 862 new registrations.

Not all sectors shared in the growth, however. Traditional market and stall-based retail lost 2,531 entrepreneurs, while non-specialized stores saw a drop of 1,062. Additional declines were observed in:

• household appliance repair
• freight transportation
• television broadcasting

Regional Breakdown

Kyiv led all regions with 1,826 new FOPs, followed by Lviv Oblast (1,651), Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (1,450), Kyiv Oblast (1,159), and Odesa Oblast (775). In contrast, Donetsk Oblast experienced the steepest decline, losing 479 businesses. Reductions were also recorded in Kherson, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk regions.

Overall, Q1 2026 painted a mixed picture for Ukraine's private entrepreneurship, with notable growth in select sectors and regions coexisting with contraction in others.

The rise in FOP registrations-especially in online sales and education-points to businesses adapting to shifting consumer habits and market demands. Data source: Opendatabot.

Meanwhile, the decline in traditional industries highlights ongoing challenges such as economic uncertainty and intensifying competition. Analyzing these regional and sectoral trends can help identify promising avenues for local economic development and targeted support.

As the private entrepreneurship landscape in Ukraine evolves, it's essential to understand the broader implications of these changes on employment. Recent reports indicate that over 800,000 Ukrainians are employed by sole proprietors, revealing significant regional disparities and the introduction of new support initiatives. For a deeper insight into how these factors are shaping the job market, explore the details in our article on employment trends among sole proprietors.