In 2026, the number of new sole proprietorships exceeded the number of closures by nearly 40,000 — OpenDataBot
In the first half of 2026, Ukraine saw positive growth in the small business sector. During this period, the number of newly registered sole proprietors exceeded the number of those that closed by 39,214.
According to their data, 141,472 new sole proprietorships were registered during the first two quarters of 2026, while 102,258 sole proprietorships ceased operations.
At the same time, the number of new registrations remained nearly at last year’s level, while the number of closures decreased by 36% compared to the same period in 2025.
The largest net increase in new entrepreneurs was recorded in the following sectors:
- education — +3,902 sole proprietorships;
- retail trade — +3,596;
- postal and courier services — +2,558;
- real estate services — +2,504;
- wholesale trade — +2,391.
At the same time, a decrease in the number of sole proprietorships was observed in the following sectors:
- computer and equipment repair (–365);
- security services;
- telecommunications;
- waste collection;
- wood processing.
The largest increase in the number of entrepreneurs was recorded in:
- Kyiv — +5,058 sole proprietors;
- Dnipropetrovsk Oblast — +4,284;
- Lviv Oblast — +4,254;
- Kyiv Oblast — +3,756;
- Odesa Oblast — +2,955.
In contrast, a decrease in the number of active entrepreneurs was recorded in:
- Donetsk Oblast — –569 sole proprietors;
- Kherson Oblast — –293;
- Luhansk Oblast — –93.
Analysts note that the decline in the number of closed sole proprietorships and the stable level of new registrations indicate a gradual recovery of entrepreneurial activity in Ukraine despite the challenging conditions of wartime.
This is reported by analysts at OpenDataBot.
Ukraine is preparing a major update to the rules governing financial transactions for small and medium-sized businesses.
Banks will extend transfer limits to newly established and “dormant” sole proprietorships.
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