Schlieren ZH/St.Gallen – The IFJ Institute for Young Entrepreneurs reports a new peak value for Switzerland in 2025 with 55,654 new start-ups. Compared to the previous year alone, the number rose by 5 percent, with major regions such as Central Switzerland and Zurich standing out.
(CONNECT) In 2025, more companies were founded in Switzerland than ever before; compared to the number of start-ups ten years ago, the number has risen by more than a third to 55,654. According to a press release, the national analysis of Swiss start-ups in 2025 by the IFJ Institute for Young Entrepreneurs shows that the record high of 2024 has been increased by 5.1 percent. However, there is also a strong dynamic in terms of company closures.
Looking at the major regions, the number of start-ups in Central Switzerland has grown the most with an increase of 13.3%; the canton of Zug leads the way with 19% more start-ups than in 2024. The Zurich and Northwestern Switzerland regions followed in second and third place with an increase of 5.7% and 5.7% respectively. Southwestern Switzerland reported growth of 4.3 percent, Espace Mittelland 3 percent and Eastern Switzerland 1 percent. Only in the Ticino region did the number of start-ups fall by 2.5 percent. The cantons that have suffered losses are primarily Uri with minus 13.3 percent, Glarus with minus 8.5 percent and Appenzell Ausserrhoden with minus 7.5 percent.
The most frequently chosen legal form is a limited liability company (GmbH), but the public limited company is becoming increasingly popular with founders and is in second place among legal forms with growth of almost 10 percent. Thematically, the start-ups are broadly diversified: The five most common sectors are consulting, trades, real estate, B2B and B2C services as well as architecture and engineering. According to the IFJ, this diversity is a signal for the stability of the economy.
The IFJ analyzed the bankruptcies together with the credit agency Creditreform. The figures are also rising here: There were just under 15,000 bankruptcies in 2025, compared to 11,500 in 2024. Two main reasons are given for this: a change in the law from the beginning of 2025 and the general momentum.
"The high number of start-ups shows the unbroken motivation of many people to live their dreams and implement their own ideas. At the same time, it is part of the natural cycle of a healthy economy that companies also disappear again. It is crucial that new ideas and opportunities emerge," Simon May, Co-Managing Director of the IFJ, is quoted as saying. ce/yvh
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