Rising number of women founding new start-ups in Hamburg

8 March 2023

Highest rate since 2011, according to Statistics Office North

Of the 15,955 trades founded in Hamburg last year, women founded a record 35.1 per cent, according to the Statistics Office North. The share marked a record since 2011 when 35.7 per cent were founded by female entrepreneurs. However, around 62 per cent of new businesses founded by women were sideline businesses compared to 44 per cent for men.

Start-ups and closures

The number of start-ups fell by about 12 per cent to 4,474 in 2022 and was mainly due to above-average values in 2021 caused by pandemic-related catch-up effects. At the same time, the number of closures in Hamburg rose by 18.5 per cent to 2,388. Yet, the balance of start-ups and closures was positive and around 2,000 more companies were founded. Establishing a business differs from registering a small business in terms of legal form and the number of employees as the former is of greater economic significance. Last year, a record 2.3 businesses were founded for every 1,000 inhabitants with highest rate in the central district of Hamburg-Mitte.

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