In 2025, Germans founded about 130,100 businesses that can be classified as having a larger economic importance based on their legal form and number of employees. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Friday, this represents a 7.6 % increase in new larger businesses compared with the previous year. At the same time, the number of full business closures involving larger firms rose 0.8 % to roughly 99,900. Thus, even in 2025 the number of new larger businesses remained higher than the number of closures, as it has every year since the series began in 2003.
The overall number of new trade registrations in 2025 reached about 640,500, an increase of 7.7 % over 2024. Total trade registrations, which include not only new businesses but also acquisitions (for example, purchase or entry of a shareholder), conversions (such as mergers or spin‑offs), and additions from other reporting districts, grew 6.4 % to roughly 762,400.
In contrast, the total number of complete trade closures in 2025 fell 0.2 % to around 502,200. Total trade de‑registrations declined 1.0 % to about 612,900. These figures also encompass business transfers (such as sales or shareholder exits), conversions, or relocations to other reporting districts, according to the statisticians.