61% of new FOPs were opened by women this year

In 2024, 154,920 FOPs ( individual entrepreneurs) were opened by women in Ukraine, accounting for 61% of all new FOPs this year. The number of FOPs registered by women has been increasing year by year. Last year, the share was 57%, while before the full-scale war, it did not exceed 51%.

The majority of new businesses are started by women in Sumy (63.3% of new FOPs are women), Poltava (63.2%), Khmelnytskyi (63.1%), Odesa (63.1%), and Kyiv regions (62.6%).

The lowest share of registrations is in front-line and occupied regions. In Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, this figure ranges from 50% to 57.8%.

The vast majority of female entrepreneurs start their FOPs ( individual entrepreneurs) in the field of providing personal services — 89% of new businesses. Leading in this category are hairdressing and beauty salons — 94%, as well as activities aimed at physical comfort (mainly massage salons, solariums, spas, and baths).

Other popular industries among women entrepreneurs include clothing manufacturing (85%), education (82.3%), and social assistance (81.5%).

It’s worth noting that a single FOP can operate in several sectors simultaneously.

This year, not only has the share of female FOPs increased, but also the number of women directors of newly established companies, reaching 34%. In October, this figure hit a record high of 38.8%.

The highest share of women directors is in Chernihiv (38.8%), Donetsk (37.4%), and Dnipropetrovsk (37.2%) regions.