The corona crisis has slowed down the start-up scene in Germany.
Around 537,000 people became self-employed in 2020, 68,000 fewer than in the previous twelve months, as the state development bank KfW has determined.
In 2019, the number of start-ups rose again for the first time in five years.
In the current year, KfW chief economist Fritzi Köhler-Geib expects an upward trend, according to information on Tuesday: "The economic upswing is providing tailwind, and the labor market is also likely to have a positive effect on start-up activity." .
Low point for full-time start-ups
There were declines in the past year both in the number of start-ups as part-time jobs (minus 41,000 to 336,000) and those with which people fully earn their living.
With these so-called full-time start-ups, a new low was reached after a minus of 27,000 to 201,000.
According to KfW, men in particular were less likely to venture into self-employment. Among them, the number of start-ups fell within a year by 58,000 to 332,000. In contrast, the number of female founders remained almost stable, falling from 10,000 to 205,000. Women start-ups thus account for 38 (2019: 36) percent of all business start-ups in Germany.