Gründung: Selbstständigkeit als Ausweg aus Krise – viele Firmen neu gegründet

In 2025, Germany saw a record number of new businesses being established, with 183,000 new companies launching – a 7.7% increase compared to the previous year and the highest since 2010. The Mannheim-based economic research institute ZEW and Creditreform's database indicate that this surge in entrepreneurship marks a significant turning point in the recovery from the economic crisis.

Notably, a substantial portion of new businesses – around 3,100 – belonged to the category of growth-oriented, innovative startups. This growth trend was particularly evident among smaller enterprises without formal registration, with a 19% rise in their number compared to 2024. However, the increase in larger, capital-intensive startups slowed down, with a 3.3% decline in their establishment.

Sandra Gottschalk, a researcher at ZEW, acknowledged the positive signal from the elevated number of new businesses, yet she pointed out that this growth was predominantly driven by the proliferation of small-scale enterprises. The figures, drawn from the extensive Creditreform and ZEW panel survey representing nearly three million German companies, are estimated to be slightly inflated due to delayed reporting of new startups.