Ukrainians set a record by opening a number of new small businesses during the ongoing war in September

What are the key sectors for these new business ventures amid the great war?

11 October 2023

In September, Ukrainians established 35,587 new individual entrepreneurial entities (known as "фоп" in Ukrainian), marking not only the highest numbers during the full-scale invasion but also in the past three years. Most frequently, these new businesses are emerging in the fields of trade, individual services, and the food service industry. One-fifth of all new individual entrepreneurs are registered in the Kyiv region.

In September, Ukrainians registered 35,587 new individual entrepreneurs, the highest number in the last three years. The previous record, 31,477, was set in June 2023. For context, over 30,000 new entrepreneurs were registered in June and July 2020.

Number of New Individual Entrepreneurs
MonthJanuary 2020FebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberJanuary 2021FebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberJanuary 2022FebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberJanuary 2023FebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptember
Number of New Individual Entrepreneurs26,77539,84424,00711,31922,97531,11634,19215,33825,17621,95718,02615,22317,89421,49923,51223,33421,40325,64628,29024,56627,95924,23424,59621,23823,63321,9101,94612,62615,40817,95019,08520,10820,13617,32415,93411,95116,93116,44022,04021,48125,62331,47728,68230,84735,587

The most sought-after sectors for these new businesses remain consistent. Almost half, or 43%, are in the field of trade: retail trade (12,777 out of the total new entities) and wholesale trade (2,343 entities). Businesses offering individual services come in the top three with 3,244 new registrations.

Top Sectors for New Individual Entrepreneurs
Retail12,77735.9%
Other Personal Services3,2449.1%
Wholesale trade2,3436.6%
Cafes and restaurants2,0255.7%
IT2,0165.7%
Information services1,3293.7%
Education1,2283.5%
Transport1,1983.4%
Car trade9232.6%
Other8,50423.9%

One-fifth of all new individual entrepreneurs, 21% or 7,407, are located in the Kyiv region. Dnipropetrovsk (3,210) and Lviv (2,862) follow as the second and third regions with the highest number of new businesses. The regions experiencing full or partial occupation and active combat operations have the poorest indicators.

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