Number of new German start-ups highest in 15 years, survey finds

Some 183,000 new businesses were established in Germany in 2025, up 7.7% on the year and the highest figure seen since 2010, according to figures published on Monday by the Mannheim-based ZEW institute and credit reporting agency Creditreform.

The upswing was particularly strong among innovative, growth-oriented start-ups. Around 3,100 such companies were founded in 2025, 19% up on the year.

"The significant rise in the number of foundations is a positive sign," ZEW researcher Sandra Gottschalk said.

"Nevertheless, a closer look reveals that this growth has mostly come from small businesses. In contrast, we continue to see weaker development among larger, more capital-intensive start-ups" she added.

The figures are based on a database of information on more than 10 million companies in Germany and covers around 3 million businesses. Since newly established companies are sometimes recorded only after a delay, the figures are extrapolated.

ZEW reported an upswing in growth-oriented startups, with their number rising significantly to 3,100 in 2025, of which around 1,400 operate in technology-oriented services.

For the purposes of the study, a new business qualifies as a growth-oriented start-up if it is established as a corporation, has several founders and conducts research and development.

The start-up sector is benefiting from the boom in artificial intelligence. In July, the German Startups Association had announced a record number of new start-ups for the first half of the year.

The survey found differences between sectors. Around 20,000 businesses were established in the hospitality sector, up more than 20% on the year, while the number of closures also increased.

The number of new businesses in research-intensive manufacturing fell by 2.6%, while new businesses in vehicle manufacturing declined by 8.7%.

By contrast, technology-oriented services recorded an 8.5% rise in new businesses.