In Germany, approximately 120,900 new businesses were established in the year 2024, with their legal form and employee numbers suggesting a significant economic impact. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of larger new businesses, as of 2024, increased by 2.1 percent compared to the previous year, with the total number of full-time jobs in larger businesses rising by 2.7 percent to around 99,200. Notwithstanding, the number of business start-ups in 2024, like every year since the time series began in 2003, was higher than the number of business closures.
The overall number of new business registrations in 2024, at around 594,500, was only 0.2 percent higher than in the previous year. The total number of business notifications, including not only new business registrations but also business takeovers, transformations and transfers from other notification areas, also rose by 0.2 percent to around 716,400.
The overall number of complete business closures in 2024, at around 503,400, was 3.4 percent higher than in the previous year and the total number of business notifications, encompassing not only business closures but also business transfers, transformations and continuations in other notification areas, increased by 2.7 percent to around 619,100, as reported by the statisticians.