Record business creation in France in 2024

The national institute of statistics and economic studies (Insee) is a general bureau of the ministry of economy and finances. Its mission is to collect, analyse and share information about the economy and French society on all the territory. The Insee was founded in 1946 and created a “brand” that makes the specificity of French public statistics, since its studies are all carried out “in full independence”.

A pickup in most industries and regions

In 2024, in France, business creations reached a record level of over 1.1 million new businesses created. After a stabilisation period between 2021 and 2023, the number of business creations picked up, over +6%, after two years of stabilisation (-1% in 2023 and +1% in 2022).

Such pickup happened in most industries, and particularly in transports and storage (+25%) and business (+6%). Administrative and support services activities continue to rise (+16%). Conversely, business creations continue to decrease in the specialised, scientific and technical activities sector (-6%) and in the real estate sector (-5%).

For the scientific and technical activities sector, this drop is due to the decline in creations in two activities: business and other management consultancy activities (11,400 fewer creations than in 2023, -16%) and specialised design activities (2,400 fewer creations, -12%). Regarding real estate, the decrease is mainly due to the decline of real estate agency creations, with 1,700 creations less than in 2023 (-8%).

Regarding locations, the number of business creations rose in all mainland France regions. This number Bretagne, Hauts-de-France et Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (+8 %). Overseas, business creations increased in Guadeloupe (+1%) and Reunion Island (+7%), however they decreased in Martinique (-18%) and Mayotte (-13%). It is worth noting however that urban areas include most business creations (76%), a share higher than the share of population they represent (67%).

A record of micro-entrepreneurs

According to Insee, this increase results on the one hand from individual companies under the status of micro-entrepreneur, which creations, after a slight rise in 2023, increased sharply in 2024 (716,200 creations, i.e. +7%), the highest level ever reached, and partly to companies, which reached 284,600 creations (+5%), without however exceeding the 2022 level (293,200 creations). On the other hand, traditional individual companies creations continue to decrease to 110,000 (-3%), their lowest since 2015.

The strong presence of micro-entrepreneurs is particularly evident in the postal and courier sector, which has seen an increase of more than 28%, with a total of 70,900 new businesses, 15,700 more than in 2023 (including in particular meal delivery services). Micro-businesses providing passenger transport services by taxi, including vehicles for hire, also saw an increase of 25%, with a total of 10,100 new businesses, 2,000 more than in 2023. The Institute notes that all these activities, because they are “accessible and flexible”, attract many individual entrepreneurs under the micro-entrepreneur scheme.

Entrepreneurs are younger, and more women set up businesses

On another front, again in 2024, the average age of people setting up their own business was 35, “slightly younger than in the previous two years (36)”, notes INSEE. The proportion of under-30s has even risen slightly, to 39%. It remains higher among microentrepreneurs than among the creators of traditional sole proprietorships (39% compared with 36%).

Another lesson for 2024: 43% of sole businesses are women (the same proportion as the previous year). The proportion of women has increased in all sectors, particularly in administrative and support services, despite slight falls in the sectors where they are usually in the majority (household services, human health and social work). Women are also in the majority in the manufacturing sector (64%), with a large number of new businesses being set up in the manufacture of costume jewellery and pastry-making, businesses which are most often created in rural areas. Conversely, the proportion of male entrepreneurs is highest in construction (97%), transport and storage (91%) and information and communication (73%). 

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- Read the INSEE study